CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Coe College women's basketball team got a balanced offensive effort on Saturday afternoon en route to a 63-60 victory over Central College. The Kohawks, who had three players reach double digits, led for a majority of the game but were forced to battle down the stretch as the Dutch made a late push in the fourth quarter. Coe got off to a solid start in the first quarter, outscoring the visitors 19-12 while forcing five turnovers. The Dutch fought back in the next two periods, edging Coe 10-8 in the second and 18-12 in the third to take a 40-39 advantage into the final quarter. The Kohawks showed poise in the final quarter, outscoring Central 24-20 to pull off the fourth-quarter comeback.
Molly Buck was the team's leading scorer, posting a new season-high 19 points while adding seven boards and three steals.
Caydee Kirkham and
Kaalyn Petersen joined Buck in double digits, adding 15 and 11 points respectively. Petersen pulled down a team-high 12 boards and registered her third double-double of the season. The win moves Coe to 6-3 on the season and 2-2 in the league while Central drops to 3-7 and 0-3 in the A-R-C.
GAME FACTS:
COE 60 - CENTRAL 56
- Central opened the game with some solid offense, grabbing a quick 7-4 lead after an early 3 from Samantha Scott. Coe then dominated the remaining six-plus minutes of the period, outscoring Central 15-5 before the expiration of the first. Kirkham had five points during the run while Kelly Knight added a three with the last bucket of the quarter.
- The Dutch brought the defensive intensity in the second quarter, holding Coe to 3-of-13 from the floor and 1-of-5 from deep to get themselves back into the game. Central also struggled on offense in the period but converted four free throws to edge Coe by two.
- Central's run continued to start the third quarter, scoring five straight to tie the game at 27. The Kohawks answered with a dominant stretch, getting seven unanswered points to regain a 34-27 lead with 5:02 left in the period. The Dutch continued to battle despite the run, using their own 11-2 spurt to take a 38-36 advantage. Coe outscored Central 3-2 before the end of the period but the visitors held a one-point lead entering the fourth.
- Coe quickly regained the lead, scoring the first four points of the quarter. The teams then traded baskets over the next minutes but a 3 from Hannah Dau tied the game for Central at 47. The back-and-forth action remained for the final five minutes of the quarter but Coe hung on for the victory, converting 7-of-10 free throws in the waning moments of the game.
Up next: The Kohawks are back on the floor next Tuesday, December 14 for their second matchup of the season against Cornell in Mount Vernon.
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