CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Coe College used a 9-0 run midway through the first half, as they held on to beat Elmhurst 56-51 Tuesday at Eby Fieldhouse. The win improved the 21st-ranked Kohawks to 2-0.
With the game tied 4-4, senior Kayla Waskow (Dunkerton, Iowa/Dunkerton) hit a jumper in the paint as Coe went on a 6-0 run to take a 10-4 lead with 16:23 to play in the first half. The Bluejays responded with a 10-2 run in the next 3:46, as they led 14-12 with 12:28 to play. It would be the final lead of the game for Elmhurst, as Coe scored nine-straight points to start a 23-6 run until the final seconds of the first half. Karen Senette hit a half-court shot as time expired in the first half to cut Coe's lead to 35-23 at the break.
In the second half, the Bluejays cut the Kohawk lead to five on three different occasions, but couldn't get any closer. SeniorKelsey Jipp (Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley) hit a jumper with 3:02 to play, extending Coe's lead to 56-47, but Coe wouldn't score again the rest of the game. Elmhurst got a layup from Devin Vaughn with 2:05 remaining, but that was the final points of the game as Coe won 56-51.
Coe won the battle on the glass, out-rebounding the Bluejays 42-32. Coe shot 21-of-48 (43.8%), while the Bluejays were 22-of-64 (34.4%) from the field. Elmhurst was 3-of-17 from 3-point range, while Coe was 0-for-5. It was the first time since Jan. 24, 2009 that Coe hadn't made a 3-point shot, a string of 95 games. Elmhurst scored 19 points off 22 Kohawk turnovers, while Coe scored just six points off 15 Elmhurst turnovers. Coe held a 16-6 advantage in fast break points and 35-4 in bench points.
Junior Mary Halvorson (Waterville, Iowa/Waukon) tied her career-high for the second-straight game with 17 points. Halvorson also had 11 rebounds and tied a career-high with three blocked shots. Waskow added 13 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while becoming the first player to make over 300 free throws in her career. JuniorLindsey Buckles (Davenport, Iowa/West) grabbed a career-high nine rebounds with three steals, while juniorHannah Breitbach (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) had two steals. Senior Caitlin Kray (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) scored 10 points off the bench.
The Kohawks return to action on Saturday, as they face defending National Champion Illinois Wesleyan. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Bloomington, Ill. against the fifth-ranked Titans. Coe will play again on Sunday against either fourth-ranked DePauw or ninth-ranked Washington University of St. Louis.