CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Coe College men's basketball team suffered a 68-65 to Central College on Saturday afternoon at Kohawk Arena. Coe held a 29-24 lead after 20 minutes, shooting 40 percent from the floor and holding Central to just nine first-half field goals. The Dutch dominated the early moments of the second half, getting a 15-2 run in the opening four minutes to pull ahead 39-31. Coe battled back late in the half and pulled within one possession of the lead but a game-tying shot from the Kohawks came up empty with only 10 seconds remaining. Central converted a pair of clutch free throws following the miss, extending the lead to five to put the game on ice. Five Kohawks reached double digits in the defeat while
Greg Hall and
Bennett Sherry led the way with 14 and 13 points. The loss drops Coe to 4-5 overall and 1-3 in the league while Central improves to 7-3 and 3-0 in the A-R-C.
GAME FACTS:
CENTRAL 68 - COE 65
- Coe and Central battled in the first few minutes of the game, trading a pair of buckets in the opening five minutes. Both offenses started to heat up near the 14-minute mark but it was the Dutch who grabbed a narrow two-point lead at the midway point of the half.
- The Kohawks then went to work, putting together an 8-3 run to regain the lead at 23-18. Coe's run continued over the next few minutes, getting four free throws from Cael Schmitt who helped extend the lead to eight with 2:50 left in the first. Coe's lead was then sliced to just five points prior to the end of the half as Central hit a buzzer-beating 3 to make it 29-24.
- The visitors dominated the opening four minutes of the second half, outscoring Coe 15-2 during the stretch to flip the score in its favor. The Dutch hit 6-of-9 from the floor including 3 from deep to grab a 39-31 lead with 16:02 left to play. Coe settled into the half and fought back during the next few minutes, edging Central 11-8 thanks to a nice run from Sherry and Brady Klahn.
- The Dutch answered despite Coe's efforts, going 5-of-5 from the floor during the next 3:52 to regain a nine-point lead. Coe began its late charge at the 5:45 mark, getting three-straight 3s to kickstart a 9-2 run. Sherry started the run with a triple and was followed by Hall who hit back-to-back to make it 60-58. Central answered with a 6-0 run during the next 55 seconds, restoring an eight-point lead but Coe continued to fight, slicing the lead to three with 47 seconds to play. The Kohawks then forced a turnover on the ensuing possession to have a chance at the tie but the hosts returned the favor and gave the ball back to Central which hit two free throws to clinch the win.
Up next: The Kohawks are back in action on Tuesday, December 14, traveling to Cornell College for a non-conference matchup.
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