CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The Coe College women's basketball team cruised to victory in an American Rivers Conference semifinal matchup Thursday evening at Kohawk Arena, defeating the visiting Buena Vista University Beavers 71-57. The Kohawks, who advance to Saturday's championship game at Wartburg, shook off a slow start and proceeded to dominate for most of the contest. Buena Vista did start well in the opening quarter, keeping it close as the Kohawks led just 17-16 after one. An explosive second quarter gave Coe control at the break as a 16-0 run during the period ensured a double-digit lead for the Kohawks at the half. The Kohawks continued to click early in the third quarter, hitting four early 3s to take a 58-29 lead with 4:13 left in the period. Buena Vista did fight back down the stretch in the third and fourth, cutting Coe's lead to 14 with 2:23 before the game went scoreless for the final moments.
Caydee Kirkham led Coe's scoring efforts with 18 points while adding six assists, four rebounds and one steal.
Audrie Helmrichs was just shy of a double-double, totaling 17 points and eight rebounds.
Taryn Kravig rounded out Coe's double-digit scoring efforts with 10 points while adding five boards and four assists.
GAME FACTS
NO. 2 COE 71 - NO. 3 BVU 57
- Buena Vista got off to a strong start, scoring six of the opening nine points to lead within the first three minutes. Coe responded with a 5-0 run, taking its first lead at 8-6 midway through the quarter. The Beavers got back on track over the course of the next phase, outscoring Coe 10-5 in just under three minutes to go back up 16-13. The Kohawks got back in front before the end of the period, scoring the final four points as Quinn Grubbs and Josie Gehrke scored two each for 17-16. The visitors notched the first point of the second quarter from the free throw line but Coe quickly answered, ripping off 16 unanswered points before the midway mark to take a 33-17 advantage. The scoring was balanced from Coe with five different players scoring on the stretch while Grubbs and Laiken Haas hit back-to-back 3s to put an exclamation mark on the scoring. Buena Vista cut back into the deficit before the half, getting a 6-3 run to pull within 13. The Kohawks had the last laugh in the second, getting five straight from Kirkham including a long-distance jumper at the buzzer to make it 41-23. Coe stayed hot in the third quarter, hitting four 3s in the first five minutes to push its advantage to 29 with 4:13 left. Buena Vista kept it interesting in the final minutes of the period, scoring the final eight points to make it 58-37 after three. Haas helped Coe seal the deal in the fourth, hitting two more 3s in the opening four minutes to fend off any further charge from the Beavers.
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