CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Coe College men's basketball team picked up a 91-75 victory over Wartburg College at Kohawk Arena on Wednesday evening. The Knights raced out to an early lead in the first quarter, outscoring Coe 15-7 in the first eight minutes of the game. Coe battled down the stretch of the first half, ending the period on a 29-16 run to take a 36-31 lead into the break. The Kohawks quickly extended their lead to 15 points in the opening moments of the second half and fought off a few half-hearted comeback attempts from the Knights. The victory moves Coe to 18-6 overall and 10-5 in the A-R-C while Wartburg drops to 16-8 overall and 9-6. 
 
Sophomore guard Cael Schmitt led the offensive charge for Coe, scoring a season-high 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting. The Dubuque native also led the squad with six assists and three steals while pulling down a pair of rebounds. Jacob Robertson and Jarad Kruse each finished with 17 points while Kruse secured a team-high 10 boards for his fourth double-double of the season. Robertson, who was 5-of-8 from the floor and 2-of-4 from beyond, added five boards and two steals in 32 minutes of action. Greg Hall was the final Kohawk in double-figures, finishing with 14 points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals as the junior made a big impact in just 19 minutes. 
 
COE 91 - WARTBURG 75
Game Facts

• Wartburg was on top to open the first half, scoring seven of the first nine points to grab an early lead. Robertson got Coe back into the game with a deep jumper, cutting the deficit to just five points five minutes in. The Knights dominated the next four-plus minutes, ripping off a 15-6 run during which the Knights shot 6-of-10 from the floor and 2-of-3 from deep. Coe, which trailed 22-11, showed no panic despite its largest deficit of the game. 
• The hosts answered the call, putting together a 15-3 outburst over an almost four-minute span. Kruse led Coe during the run, scoring seven points along the way while Hall added five. The Kohawks continued to control the final five minutes of the first half, ending the period on a 10-6 run to push the lead to five. 
• Coe started the second half up how it ended the first, scoring using a 16-6 run to grab a 52-37 lead. The Kohawks were on fire during the spurt, shooting 8-of-11 from the floor while holding the Knights to only 3-of-7. Wartburg stayed in touch during the next two minutes, outscoring Coe 8-4 during the stretch to slice the lead back to single digits. 
• The Kohawks had yet another answer for the short spurt, scoring four unanswered points including an alley-oop dunk from TJ Schnurr off of a pass from Hall. The back-and-forth action continued as Wartburg owned the next two minutes. The Knights stayed in touching distance during the run, getting an 8-3 run to make it a 10-point game with 8:43 to play. 
• The hosts retook control during the next four minutes, edging Wartburg 14-10 during the stretch to slowly extend the lead. Hall came up clutch again for the Kohawks, hitting back-to-back 3s with under 4:30 to play, putting Coe in front 80-66. Warburg got another 3 on the ensuing possession but Coe buckled down over the final few minutes of the game and converted on key free throws to ice the contest. 

 
Up next: Coe will end the regular season on Saturday, February 19 with a road game at Nebraska Wesleyan. Tip-of is scheduled for 4 PM. 
 
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