WINONA, Minn. - The Coe College men's basketball team won its second straight game to start the 2026-27 season on Wednesday evening on the road, defeating the Saint Mary's University Cardinals 71-62. The Kohawks led for nearly 30 minutes in the victory, shaking off a slow start that saw the hosts go ahead 7-2 with some early buckets. Coe's offense took over near the 16-minute mark of the first half, outscoring Saint Mary's 33-19 in the final stretch to lead 35-26 at the break. Freshman
Will Wehr had 11 points during the half and was joined in double-figures by
Kanyon Bryte, who had 12 first-half points. Bryte stayed hot in the second half and helped push Coe across the finish line, scoring 14 more points as Saint Mary's battled to the final whistle. The Kohawks, who led by as many as 12 at the 16:12 mark, saw Saint Mary's charge back to within three with less than 2:30 to play.
Zach Strauss then put all the worries away with a clutch 3-pointer, giving Coe a 65-59 lead, which was enough to see out. Bryte totaled 26 points and 13 rebounds for Coe's first double-double of the year while Strauss and Wehr each had 13 points to round out the major scoring contributions.
GAME FACTS:
COE 71 - SAINT MARY'S 62
- It was a solid start for Saint Mary's, scoring seven points in the first three minutes while limiting Coe to just one basket. Wehr sparked a quick response for the Kohawks, scoring seven points during a 15-8 Coe run that flipped the score to 17-15. Coe slowly pulled away before the end of the half, with Strauss hitting back-to-back 3s to spark another run later in the period. The Kohawks put an exclamation mark on the half in the final 2:35, scoring seven unanswered points that were capped off by a slam from Bryte for a 35-26 halftime score. The Kohawks pushed the lead in the second half, getting a 7-2 spurt and a fast-break slam from Jackson Bowman to go up 44-32. The Cardinals slowly chipped away at Coe's lead, outscoring the visitors 24-16 over the next 12-plus minutes to pull within four. C. Reece Breitenbach made it a six-point game again with a jumper, but another clutch 3 from the Cardinals sliced Coe's lead to three. Strauss made a huge jumper on the next possession for the Kohawks, cashing in a long-distance 3 for 62-56. Coe polished off the game at the foul line, converting six of nine free throws en route to victory.
#KohawkNation #TalonsOut
Visit https://kohawkathletics.com/ for complete coverage of Coe College Athletics
Like Coe College Athletics on Facebook
Follow @CoeAthletics on X
Follow @CoeAthletics on Instagram
Coe Athletics Mobile App - Android | iPhone
