CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Coe College women's basketball team punched its ticket to Saturday's American Rivers Conference tournament championship game Thursday evening at Kohawk Arena, taking down sixth-seeded Central College 73-65. The Kohawks and Dutch were neck and neck in the opening quarter but a late surge gave Coe a five-point lead after one. The hosts pushed the lead early in the second quarter and took a 31-22 advantage but Central fought back and made it a four-point game at the half. Coe threatened to pull away in the third quarter, scoring eight unanswered points to stretch its lead to 13. Central refused to go away, cutting the lead to 10 before the end of the third before closing the gap further in the fourth. A late flurry from the Dutch made it a four-point game with 1:47 to play but a clutch bucket from
Caydee Kirkham on the other end put the game out of reach. Coe, who led for 93 percent of the game, shot a blistering 10-of-20 from deep and scored 16 points from 13 Dutch turnovers. Kirkham was one of three players in double figures, finishing with 18 while
Taylor Brunson had a team-high 21 points. Both players had four assists in the win and were joined in double digits by
Ellie Wisner who scored 15 points while hitting three 3s.
no. 2 COE 73 - no. 6 CENTRAL 65
GAME FACTS
- Coe and Central battled back and forth in the opening minutes, each connecting on four buckets before the 4:20 mark of the period. The Kohawks controlled the closing stretch of the quarter, ripping off a 13-7 run in the final 4:16 to grab a 23-18 lead. Kravig poured home a pair of 3s during the run while Averiel Brady hit a 3 just before the final buzzer of the first quarter. The Kohawks pushed the lead further in the first phase of the second quarter, scoring eight of the opening 12 points to take a 31-22 lead. Wisner and Brunson hit back-to-back 3s to cap off the stretch, igniting Kohawk Arena with the long-distance jumpers. The Dutch quickly struck back, ripping off an 8-1 run over the next 2:34 to cut the deficit to two at 32-30. Quinn Grubbs and Helmrichs gave Coe momentum again with a 3 and a layup to make it 37-30. Central scored the final three points of the half to close the gap to four at the break as the Kohawks led 37-33. The Kohawks and Dutch battled in the opening 5:26 of the second half, trading buckets throughout as Coe continued to lead 49-44. The hosts exploded over the next 1:29, scoring eight unanswered points to increase the lead to 13 with 2:52 left in the third. Central remained in the game over the closing stretch of the period, scoring four straight points to make it 60-50 after three. The visitors kept pushing in the final quarter, surging with a 12-3 run before the 1:30 mark to pull within four. Central hit 4-of-5 shots during the run including a pair of 3s to put the pressure on Coe. Kirkham helped seal the game in the final minute-plus, giving the Kohawks a 71-65 lead with a tough driving finish. Central called the dogs off after a 3-point miss with 16 seconds to play, conceding the victory to Coe.
#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
