DUBUQUE, Iowa - The Coe College men's basketball team put a late scare into Loras College on Wednesday evening but came up just short, falling 86-79 to the Duhawks in overtime in their A-R-C road opener. The Kohawks got off to a solid start in the game, building an early lead in the first 10 minutes of the opening half. Loras answered with a strong close to the first period, erasing Coe's lead and taking a three-point advantage into the break. Coe battled early in the second half but Loras pulled ahead by eight with 15:05 left to play. Loras maintained its lead for the remainder of the contest and held a nine-point lead with 2:51 to play, but a late charge from Coe brought it back within three points with one final possession.
Cael Schmitt then converted on a clutch bucket, hitting a game-tying 3 with just under three seconds to play. Loras then outscored Coe 14-7 in overtime, getting a pair of 3s and some key free throws to hang onto the victory. The Kohawks were led by Schmitt who scored 25 points while
TJ Schnurr and
Greg Hall joined him in double-figures with 18 and 13 points respectively. The loss drops Coe to 4-3 on the year and 1-1 in the A-R-C while Loras improves to 3-3 and 2-0 in the league.
GAME FACTS:
LORAS 86 - COE 79
- Coe and Loras battled back and forth to start the game, trading baskets across the opening three-plus minutes. The Kohawks took the first significant lead over the next few moments, scoring 12 unanswered points in the next 2:56 to grab a 17-8 lead. Loras answered with a run of its own, ripping off a 7-0 spurt to slice the deficit to only two.
- The seesawing action continued as Coe grabbed another eight-point lead, using an 8-2 run to pull ahead 25-17. Loras stayed calm despite the Kohawk momentum, outscoring the visitors 17-6 over the final 6:04 of the period to grab a 34-31 halftime lead. The Duhawks shot 8-of-10 from the floor during the run and got points from five different players.
- The teams traded buckets to begin the second half but a 3 from Schmitt and two buckets from Hall pulled Coe to within two points just over two minutes in. Loras then scored six straight, regaining a 45-37 lead as Coe went 0-of-3 during the run. Coe and Loras then exchanged blows for nearly six minutes, but a 12-9 edge for the Kohawks got them back within five.
- Loras took control of the contest during the next six minutes of play, getting a 12-6 spurt to take its largest lead of the game. The hosts were 4-of-9 shooting during the run and picked up five points from Ali Sabet who helped put his team up 66-55 with 2:51 to play.
- The Kohawks then put together one last-ditch comeback effort, outscoring the Duhawks 11-3 over the final 2:07 to pull within three points with 25 seconds left. Ryan Dolphin then made it a two-point game with 14 seconds remaining, hitting a quick 3 after a pair of Duhawk free throws. Coe fouled one more time to send Loras to the line where it converted one of two tries, giving Coe a chance at the tie. Schmitt then pulled off a miracle game-tying shot, dribbling around a pair of Duhawk defenders before knocking down the clutch jumper.
- The battle continued in overtime with Loras taking an early five-point lead thanks to a pair of 3s. Coe answered and pulled within three points with 17 seconds left in the period, getting a jumper from Hall to make it 82-79. Coe nearly forced a steal on the next possession but Loras managed the lead over the waning seconds of the game, hanging on for the 86-79 victory.
Up next: The Kohawks head to Indianola for their next matchup, facing Simpson on Saturday, December 3 at 4 PM.
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