CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Coe College men's basketball team secured a 67-53 over A-R-C opponent Nebraska Wesleyan on Wednesday afternoon at Kohawk Arena. The Kohawks held the Prairie Wolves to a season-low 53 points in the contest as Coe's defense forced NWU to shoot just 36.8 percent from the floor and 27.8 percent from deep. Coe, which held an 11-point lead at the break, hit four 3s in the second half and cruised to victory over the visitors. The win, which snaps a three-game skid, moves the Kohawks to 12-5 overall and 4-4 in the A-R-C while the P-Wolves fall to 8-7 overall and 4-4 in the league.
Jarad Kruse led the team with 16 points on the evening, going 7-of-13 from the floor and 2-of-3 from downtown to post his 12th-straight double-digit performance.
Jacob Robertson continued his strong season, adding 12 points, six rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal while playing a team-high 31 minutes. The senior was efficient on offense, shooting 5-of-9 from the floor and 2-of-4 from beyond.
Ray Thrapp and
Cael Schmitt joined Kruse and Robertson in double-figures, scoring 11 and 10 points respectively while securing four boards each.
Sam Auen had just three points in the game but filled the stat sheet, finishing with six boards, four assists and one steal as the senior saw 24 minutes of game time.
COE 67 - NWU 53
Game Facts
- Nebraska Wesleyan opened the scoring just 20 seconds in, getting a bucket from Landon Torneten to take an early lead. The Kohawks responded on the ensuing possession as Schmitt connected on a 3 to give Coe its first lead of the game. The teams would trade buckets over the next five minutes of action but the visitors held a narrow 15-11 lead midway through the opening half.
- Coe then took control of the half, ripping off a 15-0 outburst in the next six-plus minutes of the half as the Kohawks grabbed an 11-point lead with 3:18 left in the period. During the run, Coe got points from six different players as Robertson led the way with four. Nebraska Wesleyan quickly clawed back, cutting the deficit to just six points after back-to-back buckets. The Kohawks answered the small run from NWU, ending the quarter with an 8-3 stretch to take an 11-point advantage into the half.
- The visitors stormed out of the break, scoring the first six points in the period to cut Coe's lead to just five points. Thrapp got the second-half scoring started for Coe, hitting a pair of free throws to slow the spurt as he made it 36-28 with 18:11 to play. The Kohawks then ripped off another big run to regain control, outscoring the P-Wolves 14-3 during the next 4:29 of game action. TJ Schnurr was clutch during the run, adding five points off the bench including an old-fashioned three-point play to cap off the spurt.
- NWU refused to go away despite a 17-point deficit, trading buckets with Coe over the next few minutes as the hosts led 55-39 with 8:42 to play. The Kohawks put an end to any hope for the Prairie Wolves with a 7-4 stretch which included a clutch 3 from Auen that put the hosts back up 17. Thrapp then made it 62-43 with 4:41 remaining, converting on a layup thanks to an assist from Schmitt as the senior ended any comeback attempts for NWU.
Up next: The Kohawks are back in action on Saturday afternoon with its first A-R-C rematch of the season as they take on Simpson College in Indianola.
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