CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Coe College starting five eclipsed double-figures as the team defeated Central 84-69 on Saturday afternoon inside the A-R-C. The Kohawks got out to an early lead in the first half and continued to pad their advantage throughout the rest of the contest en route to the victory. The win moves Coe to 11-7 overall and 6-3 in the league while Central drops to 4-14 and 1-8 in conference play.
 
Josh Schmitt paced the Kohawks with 18 points, eight assists, five rebounds and two steals while Adam McDermott added 17 points, three boards, two assists, two steals and one block. Jacob Robertson (16 points, six boards, one assist, one block and one steal), Austin Roth (11 points, three boards, three assists, one block and one steal) and Tommy Hook (10 points, four boards and two assists) all joined Schmitt and McDermot in double-figures as Jarad Kruse pitched in eight points and ten boards off the bench. 
 
The Kohawks opened the contest with back-to-back baskets from Schmitt and  Roth inside the first minute of action but the Dutch answered back with four-straight points of their own to knot the score up at four just three and a half minutes in. Coe then exploded for a 13-2 run which featured two buckets from Schmitt and Hook while McDermott added two free throws to give the Kohawks an 11-point lead with 14:05 left in the first. 
 
Central finally slowed the run but it was unable to cut into the lead, trading blows with Coe until the 8:45 mark of the period. The Dutch began to slowly claw away at the Kohawk lead over the next few minutes, putting together an 8-4 stretch to cut the deficit to eight with just under five minutes to play in opening half. The Kohawks buckled down over the final minutes of the frame, outscoring the Dutch 16-12 before the break to hold a 44-32 lead at the half.
 
The Dutch continued to fight early on in the second period, trading buckets with the Kohawks but they were unable to cut into the deficit. Coe then put its foot on the gas pedal around the 17-minute mark when it ripped off a 12-2 spurt over a two-minute stretch to increase its lead to 19 points at 61-42. Despite there being nearly 15 minutes left in the game, the run took the win out of Central's sails as the Kohawks managed the clock and tempo for the remainder of the contest to secure the victory. 
 
Up next: Coe will return to the hardwood this Wednesday for the second regular-season matchup with Wartburg at 7:30 p.m.
 
#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
Coe Athletics Mobile App - Android | iPhone