CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The #23 Coe College men's basketball team claimed a share of the American Rivers Conference regular season title on Saturday afternoon at Kohawk Arena, defeating Wartburg College 77-49 on senior day at Kohawk Arena. The Kohawks spotted the visitors an early lead, allowing Wartburg to build an early 10-4 advantage. Coe kicked things in to gear around the 16-minute mark as as
TJ Schnurr slam sparked the Kohawks to life. The hosts went on to regain control of the game with a 15-5 run and later added to their lead, ending the first half with a 33-25 advantage. Coe kept its foot to the pedal in the opening minutes of the second half, pulling away for good with an immediately 11-4 run. The Kohawks turned to their bench later in the second and eased to the victory, securing their 21st win of the season and the league trophy.
TJ Schnurr and
Cael Schmitt went toe-to-toe on senior night, each scoring 17 points to lead the team. Schmitt chipped in with six boards, four steals and two assists while Schnurr added four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Cooper Nailor was the final Kohawk in double-figures, scoring 13 points as the sophomore was 3-of-6 from deep and 5-of-10 overall. Additionally, seniors
Dylan Ihle, John Joyce, Tre McCrary, TJ Schnurr, Cael Schmitt, Josh Schloe, John Steffen and
Chris Pittman were all recognized prior to the matchup for their contributions to the Kohawk men's basketball program.
#23 COE 77 - WARTBURG 49
GAME FACTS
- Wartburg started hot, scoring 10 of the opening 14 points to force an early Kohawk timeout. Coe came to life following the short break, ripping off an 8-0 that was fueled by Schnurr's and-one slam and a deep ball from Nailor. The Kohawks continued to click for the remainder of the half, edging the Knights 21-15 to close the period. Schnurr added six more points before the break and was closely followed by Schmitt who pitched in with five of his own. Coe's lead at the break was 33-25, much in part to its defense which allowed just six Wartburg field goals in the final 15 minutes of the first half. The Kohawks pushed their lead in the beginning of the second half, extending the advantage to 15 points in the first five minutes. Wartburg stayed alive in the game with a strong stretch before the 10-minute mark, outscoring Coe 11-6 to make it 50-40 with 10:18 to play. The Kohawks put the game to rest in the following two minutes of action, scoring 10 unanswered points to take a 20-point advantage. The Kohawk bench didn't miss a beat when head coach Bryan Martin turned to them, ending the game on a 13-2 run to clinch the victory. During the run, Joyce hit a pair of 3s, capping off an excellent senior day for the Kohawks.
Up next: Coe, which earned the two seed in next week's A-R-C tournament, will await the winner of the #3/#6 matchup between #3 Loras and #6 Buena Vista and face said winner on Thursday, February 22 at 7 PM.
#KohawkNation #TalonsOut
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