CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Coe College women's basketball team pushed #19 Wartburg for the entire contest but the visiting Knights pulled out a 72-59 victory on Wednesday evening at Kohawk Arena. Wartburg grabbed a big lead early in the first quarter but Coe outscored the visitors 23-20 in the second quarter to trail by just six at the half. The squads battled in the third quarter but Coe edged Wartburg 14-13 to send the game into the fourth with the Knights in front 51-46. Coe continued to chip away at the lead early in the final quarter but Wartburg used a 16-5 stretch to secure the victory. The loss drops Coe to 7-17 overall and 4-11 in the A-R-C while Wartburg improves to 19-4 and 12-3. 
 
Despite the loss, freshman guard Ellie Wisner scored a team-high 23 points, shooting 8-of-14 from the floor and 6-of-9 from deep. The Naperville native played a team-high 31 minutes, adding four rebounds and one block to her stat total. Molly Buck joined her in double-figures, scoring 11 points while adding five steals, four boards, two blocks and two assists.
 
WARTBURG 72 - COE 59
Game Facts

• Wartburg opened the game with the first bucket but a 3 from Wisner on the ensuing possession gave Coe a 3-2 lead just over a minute in. The teams then traded buckets over the next two possessions but Wartburg used a dominant 14-2 stretch during the next six-plus minutes to grab control. The Kohawks got a layup from Buck with just over five seconds left in the quarter, cutting the deficit to nine points after 10 minutes. 
• Wisner got the scoring started in the second quarter with her second 3 of the game, quickly getting Coe within six points of the lead. The Knights answered with their own 3 on the other end but the Kohawks scored eight straight to make it 21-20. Wartburg responded to the run over the next five-plus minutes, outscoring Coe 13-9 before the two-minute mark of the second period. Wisner hit another 3 for the Kohawks to make it 34-32 but the Knights scored the final four points of the half, extending their lead to six after two quarters. 
• The Knights stretched their lead to start the third, getting a 7-3 run to regain a double-digit lead at 45-35. The Kohawks showed no panic, ripping off a 9-2 run of their own during the next 2:38 of game time. During the run, Meagan Harvey had a team-high five points including one 3-pointer to help Coe get back in range of the Knights. Wartburg would end the quarter scoring four of the final six points, stretching its lead back to five with 10 minutes to play. 
• Coe dominated the first two minutes of the final quarter, getting a 5-1 spurt during the stretch to pull within one point at 52-51. Emily Sly, who started the fourth quarter for Coe, converted a clutch old-fashioned three-point play at the onset of the quarter to help cut the deficit. Wartburg owned the next three minutes of action, scoring eight unanswered during the stretch to regain a nine-point lead with 5:05 to play. Coe answered with five-straight points to get within four of the lead but the visitors ended the game on a 12-3 run to secure the victory.  

Up next: The Kohawks will head to Lincoln on Saturday, February 19 for their final regular-season game of the year at Nebraska Wesleyan. Tip-off is set for 2 PM. 
 
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