CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The Coe College men's basketball team outlasted Grinnnel 117-101 on Saturday afternoon in an up-and-down contest that saw five Kohawks reach double-figures. Coe opens the season 1-0 while Grinnell, who was 19-6 last season, drops to 0-1. The Knights led by nine points midway through the first half but Coe ended the frame on a 33-12 run and held a 56-44 lead. Coe then handled the pressure and up-tempo style of Grinnell in the second half and saw out its first victory of the season. Austin Roth led the Kohawks with 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting while adding six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal. 
 
As a team, Coe shot 63.9 percent from the field while holding Grinnell to just 40.2 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from downtown. Jacob Robertson (20 pts), Ray Thrapp (18 pts), Tommy Hook (15 pts), and Greg Hall (11 points) were the additional four Kohawks who reached double-figures. Adam McDermott (9 pts) fell just one-point shy of eclipsing the mark. Josh Schmitt added a team-high seven assists while pulling down five rebounds 
 
Grinnell and Coe traded baskets to open the game as the score was tied at 10 just three minutes into the contest. The Knights began to slightly pull away around the 11-minute mark of the first half, scoring three-straight buckets to take the largest lead of the contest at 32-23. The Kohawks responded right back with seven-consecutive points including four from the freshman Hall. The squads would swap buckets until the 5:19 mark of the first half when Coe started its half-ending 15-4 run which gave the Kohawks a commanding 12-point lead at the break. 
 
The Kohawks immediately extended their lead in the second half, scoring six of the first eight points in the frame. Coe continued to handle Grinnell's unique style, maintaining a double-digit lead for a majority of the opening ten minutes of the second half. The Knights began cutting into the lead around the 12-minute mark of the second period, hitting back-to-back 3s to draw within eight of the Kohawks. Jacob Robertson pushed the lead back to double-digits with a layup with 10:49 left in the game but Grinnel scored six-straight to make the score 81-77. 
 
Coe responded as Robertson converted another bucket and then Hook cashed in on a fast break opportunity to push the Kohawks lead back to eight. The Knights continued to fight for the remaining nine-plus minutes of the contest but the Coe defense held Grinnell to just seven points over a nearly five-minute stretch to take control of the game. Grinnell got within eight points of the lead with just over four minutes to play but scored six of the next seven points to lock up the victory. 
 
Up Next: A Bremner Cup point will be up for grabs in the Kohawks next game as they host Cornell on Tuesday, November 12 at 7:30 at Kohawk Arena. 
 
#KohawkNation
Visit https://kohawkathletics.com/ for complete coverage of Coe College Athletics
Like Coe College Athletics on Facebook
Follow @CoeAthletics on Twitter
Follow @CoeAthletics on Instagram