LINCOLN, Neb. — The Coe College men's basketball team suffered a narrow American Rivers Conference defeat at Nebraska Wesleyan Saturday afternoon, falling 67-63 to the Prairie Wolves. Nebraska Wesleyan controlled most of the opening half, scoring nine of the first 13 points to take the lead. The Kohawks settled in and got back into the contest but a late run from the hosts made it a nine-point game with less than three minutes to play in the half. Coe kept it close with a closing stretch, keeping it a five-point margin at the break. The Prairie Wolves exploded out of the break, extending their lead to 13 with an early run. Coe responded with an impressive 25-9 run in the next 7:23 of gametime, taking a 52-49 lead as
Jackson Bowman spearheaded the comeback with 10 points during the span. The teams traded blows during the final phase of play, answering big shot after big shot until the final minute. NWU managed to score seven unanswered points in just over a minute of action, erasing a three-point deficit to go up 65-61 which was a large enough gap to see out. Bowman had a career game despite the defeat, scoring a personal-best 30 points while adding six boards.
Cooper Nailor finished with a double-double, scoring 12 points with 10 rebounds as the only other Kohawk to hit double-digits.
Kanyon Bryte was one point shy of a double-double, scoring nine points while grabbing 11 boards.
GAME FACTS
NWU 67 - COE 63
- The hosts took control in the first five minutes, scoring nine of the first 13 points to grab an early lead. Coe pushed back with a run of its own, edging Nebraska Wesleyan 14-10 to pull within one point at 19-18. The Prairie Wolves threatened to pull away with a quick 10-2 spurt, extending their lead to 29-20 with 2:50 remaining in the first. Coe responded well with five unanswered, staying within touch as Bryte and Nailor combined to get Coe to within two possessions at the break. Bowman was the driving force for the Kohawk offense in the first half, scoring 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Nebraska Wesleyan gained the momentum to start the second half, scoring 10 of the first 12 including a run-capping dunk. Coe slowed the run momentarily with four straight but another 7-2 run extended the lead to 47-33 with 12:52 to play. The Kohawks stormed back in no time, ripping off a 13-0 run that featured an old-fashioned 3-point play from Nailor and 3s from Ryan Dolphin and Deuce Walters. A layup from NWU paused the run but Coe picked up again, scoring eight of the next 11 points to take a 54-52 lead with 5:53 remaining. NWU and Coe traded blows over the next four minutes but a 3 from Nailor gave the Kohawks a three-point lead with less than two to play. The Prairie Wolves responded with seven unanswered, hitting four free throws with a 3 sandwiched in between to go up 65-61, a big enough gap to see out.
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