CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The Coe College men's basketball team suffered an American Rivers Conference defeat Saturday afternoon at Kohawk Arena, falling 78-71 to league-leading Nebraska Wesleyan. The Kohawks and Prairie Wolves battled back-and-forth during the opening half but a strong 16-7 run midway through the period established a lead for the visitors.
Jackson Bowman and
Cooper Nailor helped Coe stay close, combining for 24 first-half points to keep it a five-point deficit at the break. The Kohawks continued to hang tight with the Prairie Wolves to start the second half, closing the gap to three with 13:42 to play at 49-46. Wesleyan pulled away for good over the next seven minutes, outscoring Coe 18-10 to lead 67-56 near the six-minute mark. Coe pushed one final time, as
Zach Strauss tried to lead a comeback but a clutch 3 and free throws from the visitors sealed the victory for NWU. Bowman finished with a team-high 20 points and was joined in double figures by Nailor (18 points, 8 assists) and Strauss who hit 4-of-6 from deep.
GAME FACTS
NWU 78 - COE 71
- Coe and Wesleyan traded punches in the early off, each scoring 11 points in the opening five-plus minutes. The visitors controlled the following eight minutes of action, using a 16-9 run to go ahead 27-20 with 6:38 left in the period. The run was immediately answered by Coe, scoring six unanswered points to cut the deficit to one moments later. The Prairie Wolves managed to extend the lead again before the end of the half, scoring eight of the final 12 points to lead 35-30 after 20 minutes. Nailor and Bowman carried the load for the Kohawk offense in the first half, scoring 12 points each while Bryte and Walters had three each. The second half started with more back-and-forth action, with the teams trading baskets across the first six minutes. Wesleyan slowly pulled away, using a 13-5 spurt to lead 62-51. Strauss sparked a run for Coe in the next 2:34 hitting a trio of 3s as the Kohawks ripped off an 11-5 margin to pull within five. NWU had an answer for Coe, scoring seven of the next nine points to put the game away.
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