CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Coe College men's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking 67-65 defeat to the University of Dubuque on Wednesday evening at Kohawk Arena. Coe trailed for a majority of the contest but refused to give in, erasing an early double-digit Spartan lead to bring the game down to the wire. The Kohawks took their first lead with 35 seconds left to play on a jumper from
John Steffen but UD responded on the ensuing possession with a 3 to regain the lead. Coe then turned to
Cael Schmitt, who converted a pair of free throws with less than 10 seconds remaining, giving the hosts a one-point advantage. Following Schmitt's trip to the line, the Spartans inbounded the ball and raced into the front court, hitting a turnaround 3 to win the game as the clock hit zeros. Despite the loss, Coe had five players reach double-figures with
TJ Schnurr, Cael Schmitt, John Steffen, Greg Hall and
Jackson Bowman reaching the mark. Schnurr led the team with 13 and eight boards while Schmitt and Steffen posted 12 each. Bowman, a freshman from Robins, had a career-high with 10 points as he played his most minutes since early in the season. With the loss, Coe drops to 11-12 overall and 5-9 in the A-R-C while Dubuque improves to 16-6 and 9-4.
GAME FACTS:
DUBUQUE 67 – COE 65
- It was a strong start for the visitors, opening the game with a 14-5 run in the first 5:38. UD was 6-of-11 during the run, shooting five more shots than Coe which committed four early turnovers. The hosts settled in around the 12-minute mark, trading buckets with the Spartans over the next handful of possessions.
- The Kohawks slightly edged the Spartans during the back-and-forth action, outscoring UD 10-9 to pull within 10 points with 4:15 left in the half. Coe then got a crucial run before the end of the half, putting together a 9-4 spurt in the final 3:10. The offense was a perfect 4-of-4 during the run, getting four points from Hall and buckets from Schmitt and John Steffen. Dubuque shot just 1-of-4 in the final stretch but still held a 31-24 lead at the break thanks to its strong start.
- Coe continued its charge in the first few minutes of the second half, opening the period with a 9-3 stretch to close to gap to one. Schnurr led the run for Coe, scoring seven points on a 3, layup and a pair of free throws. UD responded over the next five minutes, reestablishing a double-digit advantage with a 15-6 scoring run. The hosts refused to go away, clapping back with a quick 8-3 spurt to pull within five points midway through the half.
- Dubuque and Coe then went back-and-forth for the next few minutes, exchanging blows as the Kohawks continued to trail by a handful of possessions with 5:14 to play. The game then went scoreless for over a minute but Schnurr resumed the scoring with a layup to make it 61-59. Coe would tie the game following an empty possession from the visitors, getting a clutch jumper from Cooper Nailor who tied the game at 61. The game remained tied for the next few minutes before Steffen gave Coe its first lead of the game with another turnaround jumper inside the paint. UD again had an answer, responding with a 3 from Sam Kilburg to reestablish a one-point advantage. Schmitt answered the bell on the other end, drawing a foul and converting a pair of free throws that gave Coe a 65-64 lead with less than 10 seconds to play. On the final possession of the game the Spartans cashed in for the win, running the length of the floor before firing a last-ditch 3 which found the bottom of the net.
Up next: The Kohawks return to the floor on Wednesday, February 15 at 7:30 PM, traveling to Wartburg for their final road game of the regular season.
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