CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Coe College women's basketball team suffered a 69-56 defeat to Simpson College on Saturday afternoon at Kohawk Arena. The Kohawks and Storm were evenly matched throughout a large portion of the contest but the hosts put together a pair of strong performances in the the first and third quarters to pick up the win. Simpson opened the game with an 18-8 lead in the first quarter but Coe responded, outscoring the opponents 19-12 to pull within three at the break. The visitors then opened the third quarter with 12 unanswered points, immediately stretching the advantage to 42-27 with 8:01 left in the quarter. Coe battled back for the remainder of the contest, pulling within seven late in the third period but Simpson hung on for the victory, avenging a double-overtime loss to Coe earlier this season. The Kohawk offense was balanced, getting at least seven points from six players including a team-high 11 from
Molly Buck. With the loss, Coe moves to 13-5 overall and 5-4 in the A-R-C while Simpson improves to 10-8 and 5-4 in the league.
GAME FACTS:
SIMPSON 69 - COE 56
- Simpson got things started in the opening minute, getting an early layup from Cassie Nash to go ahead 2-0. Coe answered, scoring six unanswered points on buckets from Caydee Kirkham, Buck and Katie Wilhelmi. The Storm dominated the final five minutes of the period, outscoring Coe 16-2 to grab a commanding lead after one quarter. The visitors shot 6-of-10 during the spurt, hitting a pair of 3s while holding Coe to just 1-of-5 shooting with seven turnovers.
- The Storm again opened the scoring in the second, extending their advantage to 20-8 with a layup inside the first minute. Coe answered emphatically over the next two minutes and thirty seconds, ripping off a high-speed 13-0 run to grab a lead at 21-20. Macey Rogers spearheaded the run for Coe, scoring seven points during the stretch including a long-distance jumper. Simpson settled into the quarter around the six-minute mark, trading buckets with the hosts during the remaining stretch of the half. The Storm and Kohawks both struggled on offense prior to the end of the quarter but the visitors took a 30-27 lead into the break.
- Simpson exploded out of the half, dominating the opening two minutes to extend its lead. The run featured 12 unanswered points as the visitors went 5-of-5 from the floor and 1-of-1 from deep to go up 42-27. The Kohawks quickly answered to remain in the game, scoring 10-straight to pull within five points midway through the period. Simpson reasserted its dominance before the end of the period, outscoring Coe 11-5 down the stretch to lead 53-42.
- Both teams struggled to start the final quarter, combining for just eight points in the first three minutes. Simpson capitalized on the offensive deficiencies, outscoring the hosts 8-4 before the two-minute mark. Coe, which trailed 61-46, continued to battle but the deficit proved too large to overcome.
Up next: Coe is back in action on Wednesday evening, traveling to Decorah for the second matchup of the season with Luther.
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