WAVERLY, Iowa - The Coe College men's basketball team came up just short at Wartburg on Wednesday evening, suffering a 76-72 defeat to the Knights. The Kohawks trailed for a majority of the contest but clawed their way back in the final few minutes of the second half to make things interesting.
Cael Schmitt then hit a 3 to bring Coe within 3 points of the Wartburg lead with less than 10 seconds to play but the hosts secured the victory with one free throw on the next possession. The loss drops Coe to 11-5 on the season and 3-4 in the league while Wartburg improves to 13-2 overall and 6-0 in the A-R-C.
The Kohawks were led by senior
Jacob Robertson and
Jarad Kruse as the pair scored 21 and 20 points respectively. Robertson was 8-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-6 from downtown while adding five rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Kruse, Coe's leading scorer this season, was 6-of-13 en route to his 20-point effort, hitting two 3s and adding nine boards and three steals.
WARTBURG 76 - COE 72
Game Facts
- Wartburg opened the game with a quick 8-3 run in the first two-plus minutes but Coe fought back, tying the game at nine as TJ Schnurr hit a 3 with 14:55 left in the first. The Knights then ripped off 11 of the next 13 points, taking a 20-11 lead midway through the period.
- The back-and-forth action continued as the Kohawks used their own 9-2 run to slice the hosts lead to just two points at the seven-minute mark of the first. Kruse led the way during the stretch, scoring seven points including a run-starting 3. Wartburg had a strong end to the half, outscoring Coe 11-5 over the final four-plus minutes of action as the Knights took a 39-34 lead into the break.
- The Kohawks immediately flipped the script in the second half, getting back-to-back 3s from Sam Auen and Robertson to take a 40-39 just 50 seconds in the period. Wartburg continued to bounce back from the Coe runs, outscoring Coe 17-6 over the next 5:45 of the half, extending its lead back to double-digits.
- The squads traded buckets for a three-minute stretch as the Kohawks got within nine points but a clutch 3 from the Knights pushed the advantage back to 14 with 7:21 to play. Wartburg continued to exchange blows with the Kohawks as the teams traded points over the final moments of the game. Coe got within three points of the lead with seven seconds to play after a 3 from Schmitt but Wartburg handled the pressure for the remaining seconds and secured the victory.
Up next: The Kohawks return to the court on Wednesday, January 19 after a week-long break when they host Nebraska Wesleyan at 7:30 PM at Kohawk Arena.
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