CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Coe College men's basketball team suffered a 79-75 defeat to Loras College on Wednesday evening at Kohawk Arena. Coe and Loras battled throughout the entirety of the contest, exchanging eight lead changes during the game. Both offenses got off to a solid start, each scoring 12 points in the first eight minutes of the period. The and Duhawks exchanged runs for the remaining moments of the half but the visitors clawed to within one point of Coe's lead with a 14-6 close to the half. Coe exploded out of the second half, extending the advantage to six inside the first three minutes. Loras dominated the next nine minutes of the game, outscoring the Kohawks 24-10 to stretch its lead to eight points with 8:08 left to play. Coe continued to claw back and get close to the Loras lead but the Duhawks had an answer at every turn, hanging on for a four-point victory to sweep the season-series with Coe.
Bennett Sherry led the offensive effort, posting a career-high in points and rebounds, posting 20 and 11 respectively for his first Coe double-double.
John Steffen registered his second double-double in three games, posting 10 points and 11 rebounds while adding four assists. The loss drops the Kohawks to 11-10 overall and 5-7 in the A-R-C while Loras improves to 14-6 and 8-3 in the league.
GAME FACTS:
LORAS 79 - COE 75
- Both offenses started the game well, each opening with a pair of field goals in the first 1:36. Loras then got a strong stretch over the next three minutes, outscoring Coe 8-2 to jump ahead 12-6 with 15:06 left in the half. The hosts quickly responded, scoring six unanswered points during the next 42 seconds, getting an old fashioned 3-point play from Greg Hall and a long-distance jumper from Sherry. The back and forth action continued with Loras taking control of the next few possessions on a 7-2 spurt, regaining a lead at 19-14 with 10:58 to play in the half.
- The Kohawks clapped back over the next one-plus minute, getting seven unanswered points to quickly grab a 21-19 lead. Sherry spearheaded the spurt, scoring five points along the way to help the Kohawks go in front. Loras slowed the run on the other end, hitting a crucial 3 to calm the momentum for Coe. The hosts continued to stay hot despite the response from Loras, ripping off another dominant 9-0 stretch during the next two minutes. Loras, which trailed 30-22, clawed its way back at the six-minute mark. The visitors put together a 10-3 spurt over the next two-plus minutes, responding to pull within one point at 33-32. The squads traded blows over the final three minutes of the half, scoring six points apiece as the Kohawks took a 39-38 lead into the half.
- Loras kicked off the second-half scoring with a 3, momentarily regaining a two-point lead at 41-39. The Kohawks responded once again, scoring eight unanswered points in just 1:34 of game time to regain a 47-41 lead. Loras stayed tough despite Coe trying to put it away, answering with a strong 8-3 run to slice the deficit back to one. The teams both settled in during the next three minutes, trading blows but the visitors narrowly edged Coe 8-7 to knot the score at 57 with 12:01 to play.
- Loras continued to dominate the next 1:29 of action, scoring eight-straight points to grab its largest lead of the game at 65-57. Coe's offense came back to life following the run, trading buckets with Loras over the next five minutes but the visitors held a 72-67 lead with under four left. The visitors responded, getting an old-fashioned 3-point play just over a minute later to restore the eight-point advantage. Coe's last charge came with 2:21 to play, getting back-to-back 3s from TJ Schnurr and Sherry to pull within two. Loras got the game-clinching bucket with just 23 seconds left on the game clock, converting a tough layup to take a four-point lead which was too large for Coe to overcome.
Up next: The Kohawks are back in action on Saturday, February 4 for a road contest at Buena Vista at 4 PM.
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