Mar 05, 2011
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - How sweet it is! The Kohawk women's basketball team's dream season will remain alive for another week, as Coe rallied to beat Howard Payne 79-56 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16.
Playing in only its second NCAA Tournament game in school history, the Kohawks got down early, but were never counted out. Howard Payne's Brittany Roberson scored the Yellow Jackets first nine points, as they opened a 9-3 lead on Coe in the first 2:03 of the game. The Kohawks fought back for their first lead with a 12-5 run in the next 3:23, as senior Kayla Lincoln (Maynard, Iowa/West Central) scored seven points during the stretch, giving Coe a 15-14 lead with 13:41 to play in the opening half.
The Yellow Jackets then opened up their largest lead of the game with a 16-3 run in the next 5:09. With Howard Payne leading 30-18 with 8:12 left in the first half, the Kohawks took over. Juniors Leslie Ware (Des Moines, Iowa/Johnston) and Kayla Waskow (Dunkerton, Iowa/Dunkerton) hit back-to-back treys, igniting a 19-5 Coe run to end the final 7:33 of the first half, as Coe took a 37-35 lead into the locker room on a late jumper by Waskow.
Howard Payne made it a game early in the second half, as they opened the first 4:30 of the final period on a 9-5 run. With 14:21 to play, Waskow hit a jumper to tie the game for the fifth time of the night. It wouldn't be tied for long, as the Kohawks rolled on a 22-2 run over 8:48 to put the game away. The Yellow Jackets got a 3-pointer from Clarissa Krum and a layup from Megan Norvil to cut Coe's lead to 13 with 4:33 to play, but the Kohawk seniors took over.
In the last 3:52, Coe outscored the Yellow Jackets 15-5, with 12 of those points coming from senior Sarah Anciaux (Iowa City, Iowa/City) and Lincoln, before freshman Maggie Schneidermann (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington) scored her first points as a Kohawk with a 3-pointer with :31 left, the final points of the game.
Lincoln led the Kohawks with 21 points, six rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals. She became the fourth player in school history to surpass 1,110 career points, while moving to third with 418 career field goals. She also broke Coe's single-season blocks record with 51, while becoming the 11th player with over 500 career rebounds. She also moved to fifth on the single-season scoring list with 363 points.
Waskow added 15 points, while Anciaux and freshman Mary Halvorson (Waterville, Iowa/Waukon) dropped in 10 points apiece. Anciaux moved into second on the career scoring list with 1,140 points, while moving to fourth with 413 career field goals. She also moved to fourth in career rebounds with 583. Anciaux and Halvorson both had seven rebounds in the win.
Seniors Devvin Rolston (Clinton, Iowa/Clinton) and Kaitlin Breitbach (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington) had six rebounds apiece, as did Waskow. Breitbach also had six assists, as she moved into fourth with 126 assists this season. Ware and Waskow had three assists apiece.
As a team, the Kohawks shot 35 percent in the first half, while the Yellow Jackets shot 43.3. That changed in the second, as Coe shot 50 percent from the field, while holding Howard Payne to 33.3 percent shooting. The Kohawks dominated on the boards, out rebounding the Yellow Jackets 49-31, including 18 offensive rebounds. Coe had a 32-18 advantage in the paint, 19-4 in second chance points and got 34 points from the bench.
The Yellow Jackets were led by 17 points from Roberson, while Krum had 14.
Coe will advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history. They will face seventh-ranked Illinois Wesleyan Friday, March 11 at a site and time to be announced. Check back throughout the week for more details on the game.