CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Coe College women's basketball team opened its 2021 campaign against the Simpson College Storm on Saturday evening at Kohawk Arena, falling 79-56. The Kohawks, who were shorthanded in the game struggled to find the mark in the early quarters but settled into the game in the second half. Simpson handled Coe's early run in the second half and shot 58.8 from the floor in the fourth quarter to cruise to the win. 
 
Madeline Wilkins paced the Kohawks with 16 points while Jamie Feldt added 14 points, five rebounds and two steals. Sydney Schroder stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with eight points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals in 29 minutes of action. Cameron Kincaid led the Storm with 26 points while adding five boards. 
 
Madeline Wilkins opened the scoring with a pair of free throws but the Storm responded with a 6-0 run to lead 6-2 at the midway point of the first quarter. Alyse Southard cut the deficit to two points with a jumper but Simpson again ripped off a 9-2 outburst to extend its lead to 15-6. Despite trailing, Coe ended the quarter with five of the final seven points to stay within striking distance after 10 minutes.
 
Molly Buck opened the frame with a crucial 3 to pull Coe within three points but Simpson struck back with a 12-0 explosion to push the lead to 15 points with 6:10 left in the half. The shooting struggles continued for both teams over the next few minutes as Coe and Simpson combined for just nine points in the remaining moments of the half. The Kohawks, who trailed 33-19 at the break shot just 20.0 percent from the floor and 16.7 percent from deep while the Storm shot 43.8 from the field. 
 
The Kohawks opened the third quarter hot, outscoring the Storm 10-2 in the first three minutes of the half to cut the deficit to just seven points. Simpson clapped back with another run of its own, ripping off a 10-2 spurt to increase its lead back to double-digits with just over three minutes remaining in the quarter. The squads then exchanged baskets for the final few minutes of the third but Coe cut the lead to 10 thanks to a Jamie Feldt 3 just before time expired.
 
Simpson pulled away early in the fourth quarter, scoring the opening six points of the frame to push the lead to 16 with a little more than eight minutes left to play. The Kohawks continued to fight over the final minutes of the game but the Storm's hot shooting kept the Kohawks at bay and allowed them to see out the victory. 
 
Up next: Coe will continue its season tomorrow when it travels to Mount Pleasant for a non-conference matchup with Iowa Wesleyan. The Kohawks will open A-R-C play on Wednesday evening against Dubuque. 
 
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