BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Coe College opened the game on a 10-4 run Saturday, as the Kohawks gave Head CoachBryan Martin his first victory as a Kohawk with a 67-60 win over Millikin.
Coe jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the first 3:33 thanks to a pair of 3-pointers by senior Nathan Joens (Swisher, Iowa/Xavier) and sophomore JT Vonderhaar (Bettendorf, Iowa/Assumption). The Big Blue answered with an 11-5 run in the next 3:40, as Chase Robbins scored five-straight at one point to tie the game 15-15 with 12:39 left in the first half.
The game was tied 24-24 with 8:17 to play when sophomore Tyler Dawson (Crystal Lake, Ill./South) hit a layup to spark a 13-3 run for the Kohawks to close the first half. Coe scored the final seven points of the half in the last 3:11 for a 37-27 lead at the break.
A 3-pointer by Joens and a dunk by senior Seth Light (Carlisle, Iowa/Carlisle) gave the Kohawks their largest lead of the game at 42-27 with 18:42 to play. The Big Blue answered with a 14-1 run in the next 5:29, as the got within two at 43-41 with 12:40 remaining. Coe quickly put the lead back to double digits with a 14-4 run over the next 5:52, as they took a 57-45 lead with 6:35 to play. Coe led 65-53 with 1:24 to play, as Millikin used a 7-2 run in the last 1:24 to cut the lead to seven, as the Kohawks came away with the 67-60 victory.
Coe was 23-of-46 from the floor and 9-of-19 from 3-point range, while the Big Blue were 23-of-52 and 5-of-16 from downtown. Coe held a 34-27 lead in rebounds.
Vonderhaar finished with a career-high 16 points. He was 4-for-4 from the free throw line and added four rebounds. SeniorDavid Mataloni (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) added 15 points and two assists. Junior Andrew Wirth (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls) and Joens finished with 11 points apiece, tying a career-high for Joens. Wirth was 6-of-7 from the free throw line, while dishing out a game-high four assists. Joens added three assists and eight rebounds. Light also had eight rebounds.
The Kohawks return to action on Tuesday, as they travel to Rockford. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Rockford, Ill.