CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Coe College women's basketball team came up just short in its 2023-24 regular-season finale, falling 77-68 to #6 Wartburg College at Kohawk Arena on Saturday afternoon. The visitors raced out to an early advantage in the first half, outscoring Coe 25-18 and 23-15 in the first two quarters. Coe clawed back into the game in the third period, cutting the lead to nine just under three minutes in. Wartburg maintained the lead for the final minutes of the quarter, taking a 63-51 lead into the final quarter. The Kohawks never gave in, pulling withing five points of the Knight lead with 1:43 to play. Wartburg settled back in for the final minutes of the quarter, converting its free throws over the closing stretch to secure the victory. Despite the loss,
Caydee Kirkham scored a team-high 19 points while adding five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.
Taylor Brunson was close behind Kirkham, scoring 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting while adding three boards, three steals and two assists. Prior to the game, seniors
Meagan Harvey, Kaalyn Petersen, Mo Peters, Katie Wilhelmi and
Kelsey Zelenski were honored for their commitment and contributions to Coe Women's Basketball.
#6 WARTBURG 77 - COE 68
GAME FACTS
- Wartburg quickly got the momentum in the contest, scoring 10 of the opening 13 points in the first four minutes. Coe grew into the game during the next few possessions, trimming the deficit to five with a short 10-8 spurt. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of quarter with the visitors converting an old-fashioned 3-point play to take a 25-18 lead after one. The Kohawks started the second period on fire, ripping off an immediate 7-3 run to cut the lead to two. The Knights stayed poised despite Coe's big run, answering with an 8-1 outburst in the following 1:53. Coe did its best to claw back into the game but Wartburg managed dominant close to the quarter, scoring nine unanswered points to take a 48-33 lead into the half. The hosts again sliced the lead early in the third quarter, scoring 11 of the opening 16 points to pull within nine midway through the quarter. Wartburg restored a double-digit lead before the end of the period, outscoring Coe 10-7 in the closing 4:48 to lead 63-51 before the fourth. Coe and Wartburg traded punches for a large part of the fourth quarter, with the visitors owning a 14-point lead with 4:34 to play. The Kohawk refused to give in and put together one final push, scoring nine unanswered points to close the gap to five at 73-68. Wartburg settled down following a timeout and saw out the remainder of the contest, cashing in on four free throws attempts to seal the contest.
Up next: Coe, which clinched the three seed in next week's A-R-C tournament, will take on sixth-seeded Luther College next Tuesday, February 20.
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