DECORAH, Iowa - The Coe College women's basketball team came up just short in its season finale at Luther College, falling 79-72 in overtime on Saturday. The Kohawks got 21-point performances from Madeline Wilkins and Jackie Feldt but they could not overcome a Luther team that dominated the paint with 36 points in the area. Coe ends the 2019-20 regular season with a record of 15-10 overall and 10-6 in the league, good enough for the fourth seed in the A-R-C Tournament. 
 
Wilkins who hit five 3s and Feldt led the charge for Coe, totaling 21 points each while playing 39 and 42 minutes respectively. Feldt added six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal while Wilkins totaled five boards, one assist and one steal. Fellow junior, Sydney Schroder provided 11 points, four assists, four steals, three rebounds and one block in the losing effort, playing a team-high 43 minutes.
 
Coe and Luther both started slowly in the opening quarter, combining for just four points in the first two-plus minutes of the frame. The Kohawks offense picked up the pace over the next few minutes, using a 7-2 run to take a five-point lead with 6:15 left in the first. Luther began to settle in, as the teams traded baskets for the next four minutes but a 3 from Wilkins gave the Kohawks a six-point lead at 20-14 with 2:19 left in the frame. The Norse got the final bucket of the opening quarter, as Megan LaPlante hit a 3, sending the game to the second quarter with Coe lead 20-17. 
 
Luther flexed its muscle to open the second quarter, opening a 10-2 run to flip the score and take a five-point lead. The Kohawks immediately answered as they ripped off a 9-0 spurt to regain the lead at 31-27 with 2:38 left in the half. The offense dried up for both teams in the final two minutes of the half but both teams were able to pick up one more bucket before the break with Coe leading 33-29 after two quarters.
 
The Kohawks continued to click offensively early in the third quarter, stretching their lead to nine points after back-to-back baskets from Wilkins and Schroder. Despite the growing-lead, the Norse fought back, ending the third quarter with a 14-4 outburst to take a one-point lead into the final period of the game.
 
The teams battled back-and-forth in the final quarter with neither squad taking control of the game but the Kohawks trailed 62-61 with 49 seconds left in the game and controlled possession. Wilkins continued her clutch shooting, knocking down a go-ahead 3 following the timeout, giving the Kohawks a 64-62 advantage with 40 seconds to play. After empty possessions for both teams, Luther's Madi Spence was fouled and sent to the line, where she hit two free throws to tie the game and send it to overtime.
 
Luther and Coe continued to struggle on offense in the opening moments of the overtime period but the Norse pulled away around the two-minute mark, scoring the final six points of the game to secure the victory. 

Up next: Coe will return to action on Tuesday, February 25 when it hosts Simpson in the opening round of the A-R-C postseason tournament. 
 
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