ROCKFORD, Ill. - Coe College used a 13-0 run early in the second half, as they beat Rockford 75-44 in the season opener for the Kohawks. Coe led by 11 at halftime, but outscored the Regents 39-19 in the second half.
Junior Mackenzie Reed (Iowa City, Iowa/West) scored Coe's first two points, as they never trailed in the game. The Regents answered with four-straight of their own to tie the game at four with 17:44 to play in the first half. Coe answered with a 10-4 run in the next 4:24 to take a 14-8 lead. A layup by junior Mary Halvorson (Waterville, Iowa/Waukon) with 11:24 to play in the first half sparked an 11-2 run by the Kohawks in just 1:37. Junior Hannah Breitbach (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to end the run, as Coe went ahead 25-14.
The Regents answered with eight-straight of their own, as they cut the lead to 25-22 with 7:57 to play in the first half. Once again, the Kohawks had an answer. Sophomore Lindsey Jipp (Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley) hit a 3-pointer with 6:52 to play in the half, as Coe closed the opening frame on an 11-3 run to take a 36-25 lead into the locker room.
Rockford scored the first six points of the second half before the Kohawks took over in the paint. A layup by sophomoreMegan Hayes (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf) ignited a 13-0 run by the Kohawks in the next 6:11. Outside of a free throw by Hayes, all the Kohawk points on the run were scored in the post. Rockford cut the lead to 15 with 10:13 to play before Halvorson scored seven-straight points on her own, putting the game out of reach with 8:05 to play.
The Kohawks shot 49.2 percent (30-of-61) from the field, while the Regents were 13-of-40 (32.5%). Coe was 9-of-21 from downtown, while Rockford hit just 3-of-13 from 3-point range. Coe held a 40-18 advantage in the paint and a 33-16 advantage in points off turnovers. The Kohawk bench outscored the Regents bench 41-6.
Halvorson finished with a career-high 17 points off the bench. Reed added 10, while Hayes finished with seven. Reed also had three assists and two steals. Senior Kayla Waskow (Dunkerton, Iowa/Dunkerton) and senior Caitlin Kray (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) led the Kohawks with five rebounds apiece. Breitbach, sophomore Emma Ambrose (Davenport, Iowa/Assumption) and Kray each had three assists, a career-high for both Ambrose and Kray.
Waskow led the Kohawks with four steals, while Breitbach, freshman Jenna Power (Ames, Iowa/Ames) and freshmanAllie Wirth (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls) had two swipes apiece. In all, 18 Kohawks played at least three minutes apiece, with 13 of them recording points.
The Kohawks open the home slate on Tuesday as they host Elmhurst. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Eby Fieldhouse.