CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Coe College men's basketball team defeated Ripon College 79-66 on Saturday evening in the team's home-opening game at Kohawk Arena. Coe got off to a hot start in the victory, outscoring Ripon 19-3 in the first four minutes. The opponents fought back and took a one-point lead into the break but the Kohawks had a strong performance in the second half, scoring 43 points while hitting 53.6 percent of their shots.
Cael Schmitt hit the 20-point mark for the second-consecutive game, scoring a game-high 23 points with seven assists and three steals.
TJ Schnurr, Bennett Sherry and
John Steffen all proved to be key figures in the contest, each scoring double-digits to balance the attack. Schnurr had a double-double, his second of the year and narrowly missed out on another 20-point effort, settling for 19 in the win.
COE 79 - RIPON 66
GAME FACTS
- Coe was on fire to begin the game, going 7-of-8 from the floor en route to the early 16-point advantage. The opponents fought back into the game before the end of the first half, dominating the final 13 minutes by outscoring Coe 34-17. The big run gave Ripon a one-point lead at the break but the Kohawks answered in the second half, starting the period with a strong 14-6 spurt that featured a pair of 3s from Bennett Sherry. Ripon settled into the period and began to score with Coe, trading buckets for the next few minutes but the hosts managed to stretch the lead to 61-50 with 8:17 to play. The Red Hawks threw their final punches at Coe during the next two minutes, outscoring Coe 8-5 with a pair of 3s that made the lead single-digits. The Kohawks closed the game with a 13-8 run over the final five minutes, taking care of the ball and converting free throws en route to the second win of the year.
Up next: Coe will be back at home for its next matchup, hosting Augustana College on Tuesday, November 14 at 7 PM at Kohawk Arena.
#KohawkNation #TalonsOut
Visit https://kohawkathletics.com/ for complete coverage of Coe College Athletics
Like Coe College Athletics on Facebook
Follow @CoeAthletics on Twitter
Follow @CoeAthletics on Instagram
Coe Athletics Mobile App - Android | iPhone
