INDIANOLA, Iowa - The Coe College women's basketball team earned its first American Rivers Conference victory of the season on Saturday afternoon, defeating Simpson College 91-86 in double overtime. Coe trailed 21-5 after the opening quarter but showed no signs of quit, answering with a 26-15 advantage in the second to get within four points of the Storm lead. Both teams struggled on offense in the third quarter, combining for just 13 total points as the Kohawks trailed 48-42 entering the final 10 minutes of play. Coe then put together one of its best quarters of the season, outscoring Simpson 25-19 to tie the score and force overtime. Coe, which trailed for the almost the entire game, sent it to overtime on a
Caydee Kirkham bucket with just eight seconds left. The teams traded blows in the opening overtime period and Coe erased a late four-point advantage, getting five points down the stretch from senior
Molly Buck. Kirkham dominated the second overtime frame, scoring 13 of Coe's 15 points in the period to lead her team to victory.
Kaalyn Petersen, who scored the other two points in the decisive period for Coe, posted new career scoring and rebounding bests, registering 29 points and 22 boards. The 22 boards are a single-game record for the Kohawks and she becomes just the second-ever Kohawk women's basketball player to record a 20-20 performance, joining head coach
Kayla Waskow, who achieved the feat against Buena Vista in 2012. The junior also added four assists and one block while pulling down nine offensive boards. Kirkham, who was second on the team with a season-best 26 points, stuffed the stat sheet with six boards, five assists and two steals while going 13-of-14 from the free throw line. Buck, who was second on the team with seven boards, scored 11 points and eclipsed the double-figure mark for the fourth time this season.
Ellie Wisner also joined the trio in double-figures, adding 11 points as she hit a pair of 3s and three free throws. The victory moves Coe to 5-3 overall and 1-2 in the A-R-C while Simpson drops to 2-5 on the year and 0-2 in the league.
GAME FACTS:
COE 91 - SIMPSON 86 20T
- Simpson started well in the first quarter, grabbing an early 7-2 lead before the five-minute mark. The Storm then exploded over the final half of the period, extending their advantage to 16 prior to the quarter's end. Coe shot just 2-of-11 from the floor and commited 10 of its 20 turnovers in the period, allowing Simpson to jump ahead.
- The Kohawks turned it around in the second quarter, slicing the Storm lead to 11 just over three minutes in. Simpson responded, exchanging buckets with the visitors while maintaining its double-digit advantage. Coe then made another run before the end of the half, getting a 15-7 spurt to close the period and pull within five. Coe shoot nearly 50 percent from the floor and committed just three turnovers in the period. Wisner had eight points in the quarter, including one of her 3s while Katie Wilhelmi chipped in with seven points and one three.
- Both teams were cold to open the third quarter, going scoreless across the opening minutes-plus. Coe scored the first three points of the period, getting a free throw from Wilhelmi and a layup from Petersen, cutting the deficit to two. Simpson then responded with 10 unanswered points over the next five minutes, regaining a double-digit lead at the 3:38 mark of the period. Coe hung tough and got back within six before the end of the frame, ending the quarter on an 8-2 run to make it 48-42.
- The Storm kept a few-posession lead for the first few minutes of the fourth, but an old fashioned three-point play from Petersen drew Coe within one with 5:28 remaining. The teams then went back and forth over the final mintues of regulation but Coe got a clutch layup from Kirkham with eight seconds to go, tying the game at 67. Simpson had one final chance for the win in regulation but missed a jumped in the paint with five seconds to play.
- Simpson slowly built a lead in overtime, grabbing a five-point advantage before the one-minute mark. Coe fought back despite the lack of time remaining, getting five points from Buck and a jumper from Petersen to knot the game at 76 with 15 seconds in the opening OT period. Simpson then turned it over on the ensuing possession and gave Buck a chance but her jumper came up empty.
- Coe then dominated the final period of the game, outscoring Simpson 15-10 en route to the victory. Petersen opened the scoring with a layup to put Coe ahead but Simpson responded with a 3 on the next possession. Coe then went on a 6-1 run during the next two minutes, grabbing a four-point lead with 1:01 to play. Kirkham then came up clutch for the Kohawks, hitting seven of eight free throws in the final minute-plus to clinch the game.
Up next: The Kohawks are back on the hardwood on Saturday, December 10, hosting Central at Kohawk Arena at 2 PM.
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