GALESBURG, Ill. - The Coe College women's basketball team continued its winning start to the 2022-23 season on Tuesday evening, defeating Knox College 60-58 for its third-straight win to begin the campaign. Coe and Knox played a sloppy opening quarter that featured just 17 points but the visitors responded with a dominant 15-5 period to pull ahead at the break. The Kohawks edged the Prairie Fire by two points in the third period, outscoring the hosts 23-21 to take a nine-point lead into the final ten minutes. Knox fought back late in the fourth period, cutting Coe's lead to four with just under 1:30 remaining. The Kohawks hung on to the victory despite going scoreless for the final two-plus minutes, seeing Knox miss a potential game-winning 3 as time expired. The Kohawk offense was led by
Kaalyn Petersen and
Molly Buck, scoring 16 points each while Petersen grabbed a team-high eight boards.
Caydee Kirkham led the team with four assists and
Katie Wilhelmi added three to finish second on the team. The victory moves Coe to 3-0 on the season while Knox suffers its first loss and moves to 2-1 overall.
GAME FACTS:
COE 60 - KNOX 58
- Knox opened the scoring on the opening possession of the game, taking an early 2-0 lead on a jumper just 14 seconds in. The Prairie Fire and Kohawks traded buckets for the remainder of the period, combining for just 17 total points in the opening quarter while converting just seven field goals.
- The second quarter brought more offensive success for Coe, which shot 6-of-17 from the floor despite going 1-of-8 from downtown. The Kohawks, who trailed by three at the 6:11 mark, ended the period with a 13-3 run to grab a seven-point lead at the break. Coach Waskow's team scored nine of the final ten points in the period to flip the switch and momentum on the hosts.
- The lead quickly grew in the second half for Coe, extending its lead to 12 less than three minutes into the third period. The Kohawks got buckets from Petersen and Buck and a pair of 3s from Alyse Southard to help push the advantage. The lead grew to 15 midway through the period but Knox refused to go away, slicing its deficit to nine points before the end of the third.
- Coe showed poise on offense to open the fourth, trading buckets with the Prairie Fire while maintaining its comfortable lead. Knox's final charge came with less than four minutes remaining, cutting Coe's lead to four points with 1:24 remaining. Coe continued to struggle on offense but got a game-winning stop on the final possession, forcing a missed 3 from Knox as the Kohawks held on for their third win of the season.
Up next: The Kohawks are back in action this weekend for a pair of non-conference contests, competing in the WashU McWilliams Classic on Friday and Saturday evening.
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