CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Coe College men's basketball team pulled out a narrow 94-88 victory over Simpson College in the quarterfinals of the A-R-C tournament on Tuesday evening. The Kohawks trailed the Storm 50-47 at the break but used a 14-6 game-ending run to complete the comeback victory. The win secures Coe a spot in the A-R-C semifinals and moves it to 6-4 overall while Simpson ends the year at 3-7 overall.
 
Three Kohawks reached the 20-point mark in the contest as Jarad Kruse, Sam Auen and Cael Schmitt all reached the mark. Kruse recorded his second-straight 20-plus point performance, breaking his previous career-best of 25 with a 28-point output. The junior forward added three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 33 minutes of action. Auen also posted a career-high, scoring 22 points while shooting 7-of-9 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond. Schmitt added 21 points, two boards, two assists and two steals while playing 28 minutes. 
 
Coe and Simpson were hot to start the game, combining for 12 points in the first 2-plus minutes of action. The Kohawks took the first substantial lead of the game on a 3 from Schmitt, putting his team in front 10-5. The squads continued to fire offensively, trading baskets as Coe held a slim 20-16 lead after a 3 from Simpson's Bryce Yoder. The Kohawks then put together a 10-2 run, which lasted 2:53 and featured three points from Kruse and two from Zach Niemeyer and Greg Hall. 
 
Trailing 30-19 the Storm battled back, using an 8-4 stretch to cut into the deficit before the seven-minute mark. The Kohawks ended the run with a 3 from Sam Auen but the Storm responded, ending the half with a 24-10 to flip the momentum and score as they led 50-47 at the break. Combined, the teams were 38-of-63 from the floor while shooting 12-of-25 from downtown. Coe led by as many as 12 in the half with the Storm holding a lead for just 2:22 of the opening period.
 
The Kohawks answered to start the second half, beginning the period with a 15-7 outburst which included six points from Kruse and five from Schmitt. Trailing by seven, Simpson answered the call, using an 11-2 stretch of its own to retake a slim two-point lead with 10:37 left to play in the game. The back-and-forth action continued as Coe went on to score the next five points which featured a 3 from Auen, putting the Kohawks back in front 69-66. The squads would then trade blows for a two-minute period but the Storm utilized a 10-6 spurt to retake a two-point lead with 3:54 remaining. 
 
Despite trailing, Coe showed no panic, scoring eight-straight points to flip the score in its favor at 88-82. Simpson answered on the ensuing possession with a 3 from Austin Curran, but the Kohawks managed the ball and converted on six free throws to clinch the victory.  
 
Up next: The Kohawks earned a spot in the A-R-C semi-finals which will take place on Thursday evening. The Kohawks will head to Dubuque to take on the top-seeded UD Spartans at 7:00 p.m. 
 
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