CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Coe College men's basketball team picked up its third-straight A-R-C victory to start 2023 on Wednesday, defeating Wartburg 94-84 at Kohawk Arena. Coe and Wartburg went back-and-forth in the opening half, trading numerous scoring runs throughout the period. The Kohawks slightly edged the Knights in the first 20 minutes, outscoring the opponents 41-39 after shooting 53.6 percent from the floor. Coe dominated the second half right from the jump, ripping off a 14-8 run in the first five minutes to grab an eight-point lead. The hosts slowly built upon their lead over the next few minutes of the game, extending their advantage to 14 with less than nine minutes to play. Wartburg put together one final run and cut the deficit to 10 with 2:07 remaining in the second but Coe handled the pressure and secured the win.
Cael Schmitt was the standout performer for Coe, scoring a new season-high 26 points on 8-of-17 shooting. The junior guard managed the offense all night and added three rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.
TJ Schnurr, John Steffen, Greg Hall and
Cooper Nailor all joined Schmitt in double figures while
Bennett Sherry and
Max Lampe had eight each. The victory moves the Kohawks to 10-6 overall and 4-3 in the A-R-C while Wartburg drops to 5-10 overall and 2-4 in the league.
GAME FACTS:
COE 94 - WARTBURG 84
- Wartburg and Coe traded buckets to open the game but it was the hosts who took control first. The Kohawks scored 12-straight points in under two minutes, putting together an offensive explosion to jump ahead 14-4. Schmitt led the run, scoring nine points on a trio of long-distance jumpers. Wartburg quickly clawed back, outscoring the Kohawks 17-7 to tie the game at 21 with 8:51 left in the half.
- Coe then got a short spurt, getting four-straight points on a layup from Sherry and a pair of free throws from Max Lampe, who helped put the hosts back in front 25-21. The back-and-forth action continued for the final eight minutes of the half but the visitors edged Coe 18-16 in the final moments to cut the halftime deficit to just two at 41-39.
- The hosts started the second half on top, outscoring Wartburg 10-5 in the opening four minutes to stretch the lead to 51-44. The Knights stayed in touching distance over the next few minutes despite Coe's offense continuing to click, getting a pair of 3s to keep it a five-point game. The Kohawks then ripped off nine unanswered points, getting five from Schmitt and a pair from Nailor and Sherry. Wartburg, which trailed by 14, put together another strong response, using a 7-2 run to pull within nine with 11:56 to play.
- Schmitt and the Kohawks then traded blows with the Knights, slightly outscoring them 14-10 over the next six minutes. Coe's offense was balanced during the stretch, getting points from six different scorers while shooting 6-of-11 from the floor. Wartburg attempted one last-ditch comeback effort around the five-minute mark of the half, getting a quick 11-5 spurt to make it 85-78 but Coe saw out the remaining two minutes with some clutch free throws and solid defense.
Up next: Coe is back in action in a week from tonight, heading to Nebraska Wesleyan for a road contest at 7:30 PM.
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