WAVERLY, Iowa - The Coe College men's basketball team picked up a dramatic 84-82 overtime victory on the road at Wartburg on Wednesday evening. The Kohawks trailed by as many as nine in the second half but fought all the way back to force OT where they would eventually come out on top. Coe improves to 2-1 overall and in the league while Wartburg 2-5 and 0-3 in the A-R-C. 
 
Jake Eilers led the Kohawks with 21 points, shooting 9-of-10 from the floor and 3-of-4 from downtown and adding seven rebounds. Jarad Kruse posted a double-double, finishing with 15 points and 17 rebounds which ties him for 10th all-time in Coe's single-game record books. He also had four assists. Cael Schmitt added 16 points and seven assists as Jacob Robertson produced 11 points, four boards, two steals and two assists. As a team, Coe shot 44.3 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the charity stripe. 
 
The Knights got off to a solid start, opening a 5-0 lead before Coe got on the board. Jake Eilers got the Kohawks in business at the 18-minute mark of the quarter with a layup, but a 3 from Ryan Stulken gave Wartburg a six-point lead at 8-2. The squads traded buckets over the next few minutes as the Knights continued to lead comfortably but a 6-0 spurt from the Kohawks got them within one point at the 13-minute mark. The squads would then match one another for a stretch of nearly ten minutes but the Knights finally put together a small run which saw them end the half with a 41-38 lead. 
 
Coe opened the scoring in the second half, cutting its deficit to just one. Minutes later, Eilers converted on a long-ball to tie the game with 14:20 left in the half. The Knights stayed calm despite losing their lead, putting together a 14-5 outburst over the next seven-plus minutes of action, pushing their lead back to nine with just under seven minutes left. The Kohawks hung tough despite their largest deficit of the game as they ripped off nine-straight points in under two minutes to tie the score at 59. The teams continued to trade blows for the final few minutes of the quarter but a jumper from Schmitt tied the game at 71 with under thirty seconds to play. On Wartburg's final possession of regulation, Greg Hall forced a turnover and had a chance for a last-second game-winner but his effort missed.
 
The Kohawks opened the overtime period with nine of the first 12 points to hold a six-point advantage with 1:11 remaining. With its largest lead of the game, Coe managed the final minute of action, despite a pair of 3s for Wartburg and saw out the contest. 
 
Up next: Coe will return to action on Saturday when it travels to Central College for an A-R-C matchup at 2:00 p.m.
 
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