Box Score LAMONI, Iowa - The Coe College men's basketball team suffered its first defeat of the season, falling 77-76 to Graceland University on Saturday afternoon. The Kohawks led by double-digits early in the first half but the Jackets clawed their way back into control before the half as the hosts took a 28-27 lead after one period. The teams then battled back and forth in the second half as Coe got a last-second bucket from Jarad Kruse to tie the score at 65 and force overtime. The Kohawks led late in the extra period but a last-second 3 from the hosts vaulted the Jackets in front with two seconds to play as Coe was unable to answer the game-winning bucket. The loss is the first of the season for Coe as it drops to 5-1 overall while Graceland improves to 3-4 on the year. 
 
Kruse led the Kohawks on offense, scoring 27 points on 10-19 from the floor as he also added eight rebounds and two assists. Cael Schmitt also hit the 20-point mark for the first time this season, scoring 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting while chipping in with three assists and three steals for Coe. Ray Thrapp saw his double-digit scoring streak snapped in the game as he and Sam Auen added seven points in the loss as the pair combined to shoot just 4-of-14 from the floor. 
 
GRACELAND 77 - COE 76 OT
Game Facts

• Coe got off to a solid start on the road, opening up a 10-4 lead before the 16-minute mark after back-to-back 3s from Jarad Kruse and Sam Auen. The hosts quickly cut the lead to just three in less than a minute, getting five-straight points to make it 12-9 with over 15 minutes to play. 
• The Kohawks then ripped off an 11-0 run to take control of the contest as Kruse added five points during the stretch. The Jackets finally ended the scoreless streak at the 8:24 mark, getting a bucket from Seth Compas but Max Lampe immediately answered to restore a 14-point advantage as Coe led 25-11. 
• Graceland showed no panic despite the large deficit, ending the half on a massive run as it outscored Coe 17-2 over the final six-plus minutes of action. Coe went cold during the stretch, going just one-of-eight as the hosts took a 28-27 lead into the halftime break. 
• The Kohawks started the second half well, outscoring the Jackets 11-5 in the first few minutes to grab a five-point lead. Graceland battled back to regain the lead before the 12-minute point of the second half, using a 6-1 spurt to take a 42-21 lead. The Jackets stretched the lead over the next three minutes of play, scoring four straight to push the lead to five with under ten minutes to play.
• Coe then scored eight consecutive points to quickly flip the script while regaining a lead after a bucket from Kruse. The teams then went back and forth for the remaining eight-plus minutes of action as neither squad led by more than three but the Kohawks trailed 65-63 with just 26 seconds to play. Coe turned to its lead in Kruse who came up big, converting on a bucket to tie the score as time expired, forcing overtime. 
• Coe and Graceland battled back and forth in the extra period but the Kohawks found themselves with a narrow 76-74 lead after a pair of free throws went down with just under 15 seconds to play. The Jackets quickly pushed the ball up the court on the ensuing possession and hit a last-chance 3 from the top of the key with two seconds left on the game clock to regain a one-point advantage which proved enough to secure the victory. 

Up next: Coe is back in action on Tuesday, November 23 when it heads to Decorah for its A-R-C opener at Luther College with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 PM. 
 
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