ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Coe College women's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season on Friday evening, dropping the opening game of the McWilliams Classic to Millikin 66-57. The Kohawks trailed last year's sweet-sixteen participants by just one point after two-quarters of action but the Big Blue held them to only 21 points in the second half en route to the victory. Coe was led by
Kaalyn Petersen who scored a career-high 25 points and registered her first double-double of the season with another career-best 15 boards, leading the team and the game. Coe held Millikin to 33.3 percent from the floor but the Big Blue came up with 12 steals and turned 19 Kohawk turnovers into 15 points. The loss drops Coe to 3-1 overall while Millikin improves to 3-2 and advances to the championship game of the McWilliams Classic while Coe will play in the consolation game tomorrow.
GAME FACTS:
#14 MILLIKIN 66 - COE 57
- Coe got off to a solid start, scoring six of the opening eight points including four from Petersen. Millikin settled in over the next few minutes and tied the game at 10, getting a 4-0 run to make it even. The teams traded buckets over the next few possessions but Millikin ended the quarter with five of the final nine points to edge Coe and take a 23-21 lead into the second.
- The Kohawks had a strong start to the second period, getting back-to-back buckets from Petersen and a 3 from Molly Buck to take a 28-23 advantage 2:30 into the frame. The Big Blue quickly answered with a run of their own, tying the game at 28 with five-straight points. The teams again went back and forth for the final five minutes of the period but Millikin grabbed a one-point lead with a 3 with only 33 seconds left in the half.
- Millikin took control of the game with a strong start to the third quarter, getting a 15-7 spurt to extend its lead to 52-43 at the 4:14 mark. Coe fought back before the end of the period, getting within five points thanks to a 5-0 run that featured a 3 from Caydee Kirkham.
- The lead was immediately sliced to three at the beginning of the fourth, getting another 3 from Buck to make it 55-53. Both teams struggled on offense over the next few minutes but MIllikin got a 4-0 run to increase its lead to 60-53 with just over four minutes to play. The game went scoreless for over two minutes before the Big Blue extended the lead to nine points, putting the game out of reach with 2:03 remaining.
Up next: The Kohawks will be back in action tomorrow evening for the consolation game of the McWilliams Classic against the loser of WashU and Ohio Wesleyan.
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