Spartans Stumble at Home to Kohawks
Feb 6, 2019
DUBUQUE, Iowa – The University of Dubuque men’s basketball could not take advantage of a halftime lead and fell to the Coe College Kohawks, 74-64 on Wednesday night in Dubuque.
UD got off to a hot start against the Kohawks, racing out to leads of 8-4 and 11-6 in the opening five minutes. The Kohawks slowly tied up the game and eventually had a five point lead of their own with 6:08 remaining in the first half. A quick 6-0 UD burst gave UD a one point lead with 3:31 left in the half, a lead that they would take into halftime at 34-33.
After a free-flowing and whistle free opening half, the second half was the exact opposite as the Kohawks slowly began to pull away. A UD cold spell that lasted nearly five minutes, allowed the Kohawks to move their lead from two points to 14 with 6:31 left in the contest.
The Spartans would not quit, getting within five points after a Peter Ragen three pointer with 1:03 remaining. However, the Spartans could not force any more turnovers and Coe converted on seven of their eight free throws in the final minute to prevent a UD comeback.
After just eight combined fouls in the first half, there were 27 combined fouls in the second half. Despite all the fouls, UD got to the charity stripe just 11 times and only made four of them, while the Kohawks attempting 31 free throws, making 25 of them.
Michael Williams led the way for the Spartans against the Kohawks, collecting a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds. He also added three steals on the defensive end. Despite battle foul trouble most of the second half, Peter Ragen still managed to finish with 13 points and five boards. Seniors Marcus McDaniel and Deonte Newsome combined for 21 points with 12 and nine, respectively.
Despite the loss, the Spartans still control their own destiny for a spot in the American Rivers Conference Tournament. The Spartans can clinch a spot by winning one of their final two games.
The Spartans travel out west this weekend to take on Buena Vista on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
