MOUNT VERNON, Iowa - Coe College shot over 50 percent for the game, as they beat Cornell 77-64 in a game of long-time Iowa Conference rivals. The win was the 105th all-time against Cornell in the 200th meeting between the two schools.
Cornell took its largest lead of the game at 19-12 with 11:39 to play in the first half on eight-straight points from Reggie Greenwood. Coe followed with six-straight points to start an 18-8 run over the final 11:26 of the first half. Junior Nathan Joens(Swisher, Iowa/Xavier) hit a 3-pointer with 1:57 to play in the half for Coe's final points of the first half.
Senior Kevin Gaster (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Jefferson) scored six-straight points in a :36 span to start the second half, as Coe took a 36-27 lead with 18:48 to play. Nick Bobb hit a jumper in the lane with 13:38 to play, cutting Coe's lead to 46-37. With 10:42 to play, junior David Mataloni (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) hit a jumper to spark a 15-5 Kohawk run over the next 4:09, as they took their largest lead of the game at 64-44 with 6:33 to play.
Rory Cotter hit a layup with 6:19 to play, as Cornell went on an 11-0 run in 2:26 to get Coe's lead back to single digits with 3:53 to play. Mataloni and junior Garrett Cross(Spring Grove, Minn./Spring Grove) combined to hit nine free throws in the final 1:20, as Coe held on for the 77-64 victory.
The Kohawks shot 62.5 percent from the field in the second half and were 6-of-10 from 3-point range in the final frame. Coe's bench outscored the Rams 19-0. Coe was 14-of-18 from the free throw line, including Mataloni hitting 1-of-2 following a technical foul on the Rams in the opening minutes of the game as the Cornell fans covered the floor with toilet paper following the Rams first field goal. Under Head Coach Pat Juckem, the Kohawks have hit 12-of-14 free throws following the technical foul for the traditional toilet paper toss between the two teams.
Mataloni led the Kohawks with a game-high 23 points, while Gaster tied a career-high with 16 points. Cross finished with nine points, while sophomore Andrew Wirth (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls) added eight points. Greenwood led four Rams in double digits with 17 points.
Gaster and Mataloni finished with five rebounds apiece. Mataloni had a game-high seven assists, while Wirth added four. Senior Jake Raney (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) had two assists. Freshman JT Vonderhaar (Bettendorf, Iowa/Assumption) had a career-high two blocked shots.
The Kohawks, 11-6 overall and 5-3 in the Iowa Conference, are in a three-way tie for third at the midway point of the conference season. Coe will travel to Loras (4-13 overall, 1-7 IIAC) on Saturday. Tipoff against the Duhawks is scheduled for 4 p.m.