PELLA, Iowa - The Coe College men's basketball team suffered a defeat to Central College on Saturday afternoon, falling 85-71 to the Dutch. The Kohawks played a strong opening half, staying within touching distance of the league leaders in the first half. The visitors shot 46 percent from the floor in the first, hitting 13-of-28 from the field and 3-of-7 from distance. The squads continued the back-and-forth action after the break, trading blows for the first few minutes. Central kicked things in gear midway through the second period, dominating the final half of the second by outscoring Coe 34-22 in the final 11:58 of the game. The Kohawks were led by
Cael Schmitt who scored a game-high 19 points, adding three boards, two assists and two steals.
John Steffen continued his solid run, posting 16 points and three boards while
TJ Schnurr was the third Kohawk in double digits, ending with 14 points and seven boards. The loss drops Coe to 11-9 overall and 5-6 in the A-R-C while Central improves to 13-5 and 8-2 in the league.
GAME FACTS:
CENTRAL 85 - COE 71
- Central opened the game with four-straight points, getting a layup and a dunk to cap off the strong start. Coe answered, scoring eight of the next 11 points to take a one-point advantage at 8-7. The Kohawk run continued over the next few minutes, ripping off a 9-5 stretch to pull ahead 17-12 with 12:29 left in the half.
- Central and Coe traded points during the following handful of possessions, but Coe slightly edged the hosts 9-7 to lead 26-19. The Dutch owned the final five-plus minutes of the first half, ripping off a 13-5 spurt to close the period and take a 32-31 lead into the break. Central shot 6-of-11 during the stretch and held Coe to just two field goals.
- Coe owned the first few minutes of the second, outscoring Central 10-6 in the opening 2:46 to restore its lead. The hosts quickly answered with four consecutive points, regaining a one-point advantage at 42-41. Coe continued to try and assert its dominance, getting another 6-2 run to answer, and grab a three-point lead at 47-44.
- Central took control of the game with 13:34 to play, ripping off seven unanswered points in just 34 seconds to quickly grab the lead. Coe temporarily slowed the run with a pair of free throws but the Dutch put together another dominant 9-0 spurt to take a 60-49 lead with 9:58 to play. Coe maintained its pressure on offense throughout the final half of the second period but Central remained efficient on offense, securing the double-digit victory to cement its place atop the league standings.
Up next: The Kohawks welcome Loras to Kohawk Arena for their next game, hosting the Duhawks on February 1 at 7:30 PM.
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