MOUNT VERNON, Iowa - The Coe College men's basketball team won 78-62 on the road at Cornell College on Monday evening. The Kohawks led for a majority of the game, holding a 14-point lead at the break while fending off a last-ditch comeback effort from the Rams with less than five minutes to play. Coe shot 49 percent from the floor as a team and 37 percent from downtown while holding Cornell to 41 percent shooting and 26 percent from beyond. The victory is the second straight for Coe to start the season while Cornell suffers its first loss and drops to 1-1.
Jarad Kruse paced the offense with 21 points, shooting 8-of-17 from the floor and 1-of-2 from deep while
Sam Auen added 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting including 3-of-5 from beyond.
Ray Thrapp also joined the duo in double-figures, scoring 13 points on a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor while hauling in a team-high nine boards. Senior guard
Zach Niemeyer led the team with five assists and three rebounds while fellow guard
Cael Schmitt added four points, four assists and two rebounds.
COE 78 - CORNELL 62
Game Facts
- The Kohawks had another strong start to the game, scoring the first nine points of the contest including a pair of layups from Jarad Kruse and a 3 from Greg Hall. The Rams quickly responded with nine-straight points to tie the game with 14:52 left in the first half. Coe and Cornell then traded blows for the next few minutes but the visitors took control after a 3 from Sam Auen made it 26-17 with 8:59 left in the frame.
- The lead continued to grow for Coe before the two-minute mark of the half as it pushed the lead to 19 points at 42-23 with 2:36 in the first. The Rams scored the final five points of the period as they hit a 3 with less than a minute to play to trail by 14 at the break.
- The Kohawks pushed the lead early in the second half with a 3 from Auen and a bucket from Ray Thrapp as the pair put Coe back up 19 points with back-to-back baskets. The lead got as large as 25 points with 13:58 to play in the second half but Cornell refused to quit, getting the lead back under 20 with 9:20 remaining. Coe continued to show composure, scoring with relative ease but six-straight points for the Rams cut their deficit to 14 with 4:23 to play.
- The Kohawks went to Kruse on their next possession as he was fouled and converted on a pair of free throws to help keep Cornell at arm's length for the remainder of the contest. The Rams got within 15 again with the score at 75-60 but the hosts ran out of time for any comeback as there was less than one minute to play.
Up next: Coe returns to the court tomorrow evening for an exhibition contest at in-state opponent Drake University at 7 PM.
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