WAVERLY, Iowa — The Coe College women's basketball team picked up its first postseason tournament title since 2012 Saturday afternoon at Wartburg, taking down top-seeded Wartburg College 61-50 to claim the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Coe and Wartburg traded buckets early in the first quarter but a strong close from the Knights gave the hosts a 19-12 lead after one quarter. The Kohawks responded in the second, outscoring Wartburg 20-8 while using a 16-2 run to spark the dominance. Coe led 32-27 at the break and grew the lead by one in a low-scoring third as the Kohawks got six points from
Averiel Brady in the period to help fend off the Knights. An early 7-3 run in the fourth made it a 10-point lead for Coe before one final push from the hosts made it a 47-44 game with 3:56 to play.
Taryn Kravig and
Kelly Knight proceeded to bury back-to-back 3s for Coe over the next minute plus before a layup from
Audrie Helmrichs all but ended the game.
Caydee Kirkham scored a team-high 21 points, adding seven assists, six rebounds and three steals while playing all 40 minutes. Helmrichs (12), Brady (11) and Kravig (11) rounded out the double-digit scorers for Coe while six points from Knight gave the Kohawks the rest of their offense.
GAME FACTS
NO. 2 COE 61 - NO. 1 WARTBURG 50
- Coe and Wartburg traded early buckets with the teams level at six a few minutes in. Wartburg threatened to take a double-digit lead into the second quarter after a 13-3 run but a triple from Kravig helped Coe steady the ship and cut the score to 19-12. Kravig began the second quarter with another 3, starting the big run for the Kohawks. Coe proceeded to outscore the Knights 29-5 before the final minute but a clutch 3 from the Knights slowed the Kohawk momentum as the visitors led 32-27 at the break. Brady was huge for Coe in the third as the offensive struggles showed up, helping Coe outscore the Knights 8-7 as she knocked down a pair of triples to keep the Kohawks ahead. Kirkham spearheaded a quick 7-3 run in the fourth, scoring the first five points to help establish a 47-37 lead with seven minutes to play. Wartburg gave one last gasp with a 7-0 run in the following three minutes, cutting the deficit to three with just under four to play. Kravig, Knight and Helmrichs put the game on ice for the Kohawks in the following minutes, leading an 8-0 run the clinched the title and the trip to the big dance.
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