NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The Coe College women's basketball team was in action for the final time in 2023 on Saturday afternoon, taking down North Central College 81-80 in dramatic come-from-behind fashion. The Kohawks trailed by 10 points entering the final quarter but outscored the hosts 24=13 in the final 10 minutes and secured the victory with a go-ahead bucket from
Kaalyn Petersen with just two seconds left to play. The Kohawk offense featured four double-digit scorers in the win, being led by
Caydee Kirkham who finished with 24 points, her sixth 20-plus point effort of the season. Petersen, who scored 18 points including the game-winner, also turned in 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the year.
Kelly Knight and
Taylor Brunson were the final two players to hit double-figures, scoring 11 and 10 points respectively.
COE 81 - NORTH CENTRAL 80
GAME FACTS
- The visitors got off to a solid start, putting seven of the first nine points on the board including a game-opening 3 from Knight. NCC owned the next three-plus minutes of action, responding with a 16-2 run to grab an 18-9 lead with just under four minutes left in the quarter. Coe quickly regained the momentum prior to the end of the period, scoring 11 unanswered points in the closing moments to regain a 20-18 advantage. The lead grew in the opening minute of the second, getting four points to extend the lead to 24-18 but again the Cardinals responded. North Central slowly closed the gap over the next six minutes, outscoring Coe 21-13 to take a two-point lead. The hosts continued to ride the momentum over the final three minutes of the first half, getting a 10-5 run to push their lead to 49-42 at the break. The third quarter featured back-and-forth action throughout but the Cardinals again closed with a flurry, scoring nine of the final 12 points in the period to push their advantage to 67-57. The teams traded blows for the opening four minutes of the quarter until Coe's final push. The Kohawks put together a dominant close to the game, outscoring NCC 19-8 in the final minutes, hitting 7-of-8 field goals while holding the opposition to just 3-of-7. The biggest moment of the victory came in the final seconds as Petersen converted the game-winning bucket following a free throw miss for the hosts just moments before.
Up next: Coe is back on the court in 2024, starting the New Year with an A-R-C matchup with Luther College in Decorah on January 3 at 5:30 PM.
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