ANGOLA, Ind. - The #25 Coe College men's basketball team needed overtime but outlasted Wabash College in the opening round of the DIII NCAA Tournament on Friday evening, defeating the Little Giants 79-74. Coe began the contest well, opening up an early 10-4 lead in the first two minutes and thirty seconds. Wabash hung tough and clawed back into the game, trading blows with the Kohawks for much of the remaining first half. Coe pulled away late in the period, extending its lead to 12 points on a TJ Schnurr 3 with 2:39 left in the period. Wabash sliced the lead before the end of the period, cutting Coe's advantage to just seven points at the break. The Little Giants surged in the second half, cutting the Kohawk lead to just two midway through the period. The opposition continued to gain momentum down the closing stretch, taking a 60-54 lead with 4:18 left in the game. Coe fought back and tied the score before the end of regulation, getting a crucial defensive stop on the final possession of regulation. The Kohawks gained control in the extra period around the two-minute mark as a layup from Bennett Sherry gave his team a 75-72 lead. Coe sealed the deal in the final moments on the defensive end and at the free throw line, holding Wabash scoreless for the final minute while hitting four-straight free throws. Coe's offense was balanced, getting points from seven different players while shooting 51.6 percent from the floor. Senior tandem TJ Schnurr and Cael Schmitt were the catalysts for the Kohawks, scoring 23 and 17 points respectively. Sherry, who hit a pair of clutch freebies in overtime, recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards while adding four blocks on defense. Josh Schloe was also crucial off the bench for the Kohawks, scoring 11 points as he was 4-of-7 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. 
 
#25 COE 79 - 74
GAME FACTS

• Coe got off to a solid start, scoring eight of the opening 12 points to jump ahead. Wabash fought back, clawing to within one point at the 14:56 mark but the Kohawks answered again to regain momentum. Coe's run began with buckets from Schloe and John Steffen and was later fueled by a jumper from Schmitt which put his team up 21-12 midway through the half. The opponents slowed the run momentarily with back-to-back buckets, pulling to within five at 21-16. Schnurr kickstarted another strong Coe stretch, converting a layup to help start a 9-5 run. The later portion of the run featured Schloe's first 3 of the contest and yet another jumper from Schmitt as he extended the lead to 11 with 3:50 remaining in the first. Wabash hung around and kept itself in the game with a big run to close the period, scoring 10 of the final 17 points to make it 39-32 at the break. Coe and Wabash traded blows to open the second period, however, the Little Giants slowly climbed back into the game. Wabash put together a 7-2 run in just under four minutes of action, making the score 49-47 with 10:41 to play. The opponents continued to force the issue in the next phase of the game, trying the game at 54 with seven unanswered points. Wabash continued the run and took a 60-54 lead, scoring six-straight points for its largest lead of the game. Coe snapped back into action despite the deficit, leveling the score with a pair of Schnurr free throws around the two-minute mark. Both teams struggled offensively in the closing minutes of the game but Cooper Nailor hit a game-tying free throw with 20 seconds to play. Wabash had one final chance before the end of regulation but a strong defensive possession from Coe forced a miss. The teams traded buckets in the first few minutes of the extra period but Coe took the first true lead, going ahead 73-70 after Sherry's tough lay in. Wabash's final bucket of the game came with 1:08 to play, converting a layup to make it 75-74. Coe got the final four points of the contest from the free throw line, getting a pair from Sherry and Nailor to secure the victory. 

 
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