Box Score CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Coe College men's basketball team fell 86-78 to Luther College on Wednesday evening at Kohawk Arena. The Kohawks trailed by seven points at the half and attempted to make a comeback but hot shooting from the Norse kept Coe at arm's length. The result drops Coe to 5-4 overall and 3-4 in the A-R-C while Luther improves to 1-5 overall and in the league. 
 
Despite the loss, Cael Schmitt and Jarad Kruse both set career-highs, scoring 25 points each in the contest. Schmitt shot 9-of-16 from the floor and 2-of-4 from deep while Kruse was 11-of-16 and 3-of-4 from downtown. Sam Auen was the only other Kohawk to eclipse the double-digit mark as he added 12 points while hitting two 3s. Overall, the Kohawks shot 47 percent from the field and 42.9 from 3 as Luther shot 50 percent and 44 from deep. 
 
Coe got off to a strong start, outscoring Luther 8-2 in the opening four minutes of the contest. Luther fought back, getting a 3 from Anthony Westhusing to cut into the deficit but a pair of free throws from Schmitt put Coe back up five. The Norse then put together a 15-7 run over the next three-plus minutes of action, giving them a 20-17 lead with 10:52 left in the first half. 
 
Coe ended the mini-run thanks to a 3 from Auen but Luther continued to thrive offensively, maintaining its lead thanks to another 14-11 spurt. The Kohawks traded buckets with the Norse for the remaining few minutes of the first half but they could not cut into the deficit before the break as they trailed 41-34 after one. 
 
Luther was hot again to start the second half, scoring 11 of the first 15 points to extend its lead to 14 points with just under 14 minutes remaining. During the run, Luther shot 5-of-7 from the floor and 1-of-2 from downtown. The squads then traded buckets for the next few minutes of play but a 3 from Myke Shed gave the Norse a 17-point lead with 7:09 left to play. 
 
Coe refused to go away, slowly chipping away at the lead for the next six minutes as a 3 from Kruse made it 78-67 with one minute remaining. The Kohawks then got another 3 from Auen and a layup from Schmitt but Luther converted on eight free throws in the final minute of play to thwart any chance of a comeback. 
 
Up next: The Kohawks are back in action on Monday, March 1 when they travel to Nebraska Wesleyan for their final contest of the regular season. 
 
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