CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Coe College jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first 2:17 and never looked back in a 67-48 win over Westminster. The win improved the Kohawks to 2-0 in the first meeting between the two teams.
With 15:24 to play in the first half, the Blue Jays put their first points on the scoreboard on a free throw by Kelsey Weymuth. Leading 7-1, Coe responded with a 14-2 run over the next 4:50 to take a 21-3 lead. The Kohawks increased their lead with four-straight points to take a 31-11 lead with 5:13 to play in the opening half. Westminster bounced back with a 14-6 run to end the half, with Coe leading 37-25.
A layup by Verdis Lee :24 into the second half cut Coe's lead to 10, but Coe responded with a 10-2 run over the next 2:43 to open the game back up. Skylar Tolson hit a pair of free throws and a jumper to cut the lead to 14 with 14:12 to play, but Coe again had an answer with five-straight points in less than two minutes to put the lead back to 19.
With 10:41 to play, Coe got a pair of jumpers from sophomores Andrew Wirth (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls) and Nathan Wood (Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha North), with a free throw from senior Kevin Gaster (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Jefferson) to take a 57-35 lead, the largest of the game for the Kohawks. Westminster got six-straight points from Joe James in 1:02 to cut the lead to 16 with 5:59 to play, but wasn't able to get any closer.
The Kohawks shot 50 percent (23-of-46) from the field, while holding the Blue Jays to 33 percent (16-of-49) shooting. Both teams struggled from 3-point range, as the Blue Jays were 2-of-14 (14 percent) and the Kohawks were 4-of-17 (24 percent). Coe made it count at the free throw line, connecting on 17-of-24 (71 percent) attempts, while the Blue Jays were 14-of-22 (64 percent).
Coe outscored Westminster 22-12 in the paint, but the Blue Jays capitalized on second chance opportunities, outscoring Coe 9-2. The Blue Jays scored 37 of their 48 points off the bench, while Coe received 23 points from the reserves.
Junior Garrett Cross (Spring Grove, Minn./Spring Grove) scored a game-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. It was the second-straight game that Cross has tied a career high for field goals. Junior David Mataloni (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) and Wirth added 10 points each. Freshman Caleb Miller (Sterling, Ill./Sterling) scored a career-high nine points, while junior Seth Light (Carlisle, Iowa/Carlisle) added eight.
Miller led the Kohawks with six rebounds, while Mataloni, Gaster, sophomoreConor Bernhard (Byron, Ill./Byron) and freshman JT Vonderhaar (Bettendorf, Iowa/Assumption) added four apiece. It was a career-high for Bernhard, Vonderhaar and Miller. Gaster and Wirth led the Kohawks with a game-high four assists, while Mataloni added five steals.
The Kohawks will return to action Saturday, as they travel to North Park in Chicago, Ill. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.