MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – Caydee Kirkham became the first player in Coe College women's basketball history to record back-to-back 30-point performances on Sunday afternoon as she scored 36 points to lead the Kohawks to a 76-69 victory over Saint Mary's. Kirkham followed up her 33-point performance from Saturday with 36 on Sunday, falling just one point shy of her school record set in 2023. The junior guard and the Kohawks trailed 21-17 after the opening quarter but responded by outscoring the Cardinals in the final three periods of action. Coe tied the game before the half with a solid second quarter, holding Saint Mary's to 4-of-14 shooting. Kirkham then did the majority of her damage in the final two quarters, scoring nine in the third before icing the game with 15 in the fourth. Overall, Coe shot 27-of-61 from the floor but the Kohawks took advantage of 20 Cardinal turnovers, converting them into 25 total points.
COE 76- SAINT MARY'S 69
GAME FACTS
- The Cardinals controlled the opening minutes of the first quarter, building a seven-point lead in the first three-plus minutes at 11-4. Coe battled back to pull within three of the lead as Kirkham converted a jumper to make it 15-12 with 3:54 left in the quarter. Saint Mary's quickly regained control, taking its largest lead of the game at nine with six unanswered points. Coe softened the blow before the end of the quarter, getting an old-fashioned three-point play from Kirkham and a pair of free throws from Ellie Wisner. Coe and Saint Mary's battled back and forth to start the second quarter but the Kohawks took their first lead with just under four to play as Audrie Helmrichs converted a pair of free throws to make it 26-25. The teams traded punches over the final few minutes of the quarter but Kirkham scored the final bucket, stealing a bad pass before a breakaway layup to make it 30-30 at the half. There was more seesawing action in the early moments of the third quarter but Coe took control around the six-minute mark, ripping off a 9-0 run that featured buckets from Taylor Brunson and Kirkham and a run-capping 3 from Taryn Kravig. Saint Mary's hung in the game over the closing minutes of the quarter, cutting the deficit to six at 51-45 with 10 minutes to play. Kirkham took over in the final frame, putting the game on ice with 15 points as she was 4-of-7 from the floor, 1-of-1 from 3 and 6-of-9 at the line. Kelly Knight knocked down a 3 to start the scoring in the third and cashed in again minutes later to make it 59-49. The Cardinals closed the gap to three with 6:55 to play but it was the closest they'd get for the remainder of the game. Kirkham scored 13 of Coe's final 17 points in the final minutes, hitting clutch bucket after clutch bucket while converting some clutch free throws to secure the win.
#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
