CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Coe College and Wartburg went back and forth all day with eight ties and 18 lead changes, but it was the Kohawks that were on the winning end with a 53-50 win over Wartburg in Iowa Conference action at Eby Fieldhouse.
Senior Kevin Gaster (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Jefferson) scored the first two baskets of the game, giving Coe a 4-0 lead with 16:53 to play in the opening half. Wartburg's Jordan Sathoff hit the Knights first basket with 15:37 to play, sparking a 7-1 run in the next 3:28 to take their first lead at 7-5 with 12:09 left in the first half. Coe responded with a 10-1 run in the next 2:36, as they took a 15-8 lead, the largest of the game for either team, on 3-pointers by sophomore Andrew Wirth (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls) and junior David Mataloni (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale). The Knights regained the lead with an 8-0 run in the next 2:37, but Coe went into halftime with a 20-19 lead.
Coe scored the first six points of the second half to take a 26-19 lead with 16:32 to play. Wartburg responded with a 12-4 run in just under four minutes, regaining the lead with 12:09 to play. From that point on, neither team would lead by more than three the rest of the way. Mataloni hit a pair of free throws with 1:57 to play, tying the game for the eighth time. Wartburg's Mitchell Murphy missed a 3-pointer with 1:34 to play, giving the Kohawks the ball back. Freshman JT Vonderhaar (Bettendorf, Iowa/Assumption) hit a jumper in the paint with :58 to play, giving Coe a 49-47 lead.
Following a Wartburg timeout, Sathoff gave the Knights a 50-49 lead on his third trey of the game. Mataloni had the answer on the other end with a jumper in the paint, giving Coe a 51-50 lead. Murphy was called for a charge with :08 to play, giving Coe the ball back. Mataloni hit a pair of free throws with :05 to play, giving the Kohawks the victory.
Wirth and Mataloni led three Kohawks in double figures with 12 points and five rebounds apiece. Gaster added 10 points and four steals. Junior Nathan Joens (Swisher, Iowa/Xavier) had a game-high six rebounds and two steals. Sathoff led the Knights with 19 points, while Murphy added 14.
The Kohawks had connected for 27 3-pointers in their previous two games and were ranked in the top 10 in the nation in 3-point percentage entering the game. Coe was just 5-of-19 (26.3%) from beyond the arc in the win. The Knights held a 10-0 advantage on second chance points.
Coe returns to action on Wednesday, as they travel to defending Iowa Conference Champion Luther. The Norse are one of three teams undefeated in league play, joining Central and Dubuque. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. in Decorah.