McCrary gets it done for Coe

CEDAR RAPIDS - Courteney McCrary may have a different idea about her role on the Coe women's basketball team than that of her coach.

But she had the right idea at the right time Saturday for the Kohawks.

McCrary scored seven of her 11 points during a 9-2 run after Luther had cut a 14-point Coe lead to three in the second half. The Kohawks went on to claim a 73-62 win in an Iowa Conference game at Eby Fieldhouse.

Coe (13-6, 6-2) avenged a 14-point loss to the Norse (15-4, 5-3) two weeks ago in Decorah. It also gave Coe sole possession of second place, one game behind Dubuque and one game ahead of third-place Luther and Loras.

After falling behind by five points early, Coe closed the first half with a 26-12 burst that gave it a nine-point lead at halftime.

The lead grew to 46-32 before Luther caught fire behind junior Moran Lonning, who scored 17 of her game-high 19 points in the second half.

With a tenuous 50-47 margin and 7:30 left, McCrary took over. She hit a pull up jumper, drilled a 3-pointer and canned a pair of free throws as Coe pulled out to a 59-49 advantage.

'I put my skills to the test and it worked,” said McCrary, a sophomore from Cedar Rapids Prairie.

'She's a pretty literal person,” Coe Coach Randi Henderson said. 'Her job actually is to compete. She's one of our best competitors. She comes with a purpose.”

Henderson said she was pleased with the way the Kohawks competed, despite their 21 turnovers against Luther's full-court trapping zone defense. The Kohawks had 28 turnovers in their first game against the Norse.

'When people put pressure on you, it's really not about your press break,” she said. 'It's about your players making plays. Today my kids made plays.”

Senior Megan Hayes led the Kohawks with 18 points. Junior Allie Wirth had 13. Both grabbed nine rebounds. McCrary had seven.

Coe had a 50-30 advantage in rebounding and made 20 of 24 free throws.

Kylie Romeo added 15 points for Luther.