Coe clamps down in the first half, dunks in the second

MOUNT VERNON - Matt Daoust was having trouble figuring how it was even possible. He couldn't remember being part of a first-half defensive performance like the one Coe put on in a 72-55 victory at Cornell on Tuesday.

'Maybe in high school, where there's no shot clock,” the senior guard said. 'But 13 points [at halftime] in a college game? We just had a really good game plan and we all stuck to it.”

The Kohawks pressured Cornell into just 5-of-22 shooting and forced 10 turnovers in the first half, building a 32-13 lead. Guard Corey Davis was the only Ram to score more than 2 points before halftime.

Kohawk coach Bryan Martin struggled to recall a half when one of his teams had put the clamps on so tightly.

'It's been a while,” he said. 'We were real excited about that as a staff. Our guys really dialed in on team defense. [Cornell] has some quick guards, so it started in transition. We got back and stopped easy shots.”

The Rams tried to come back with a full-court press in the second half. They forced 11 turnovers after halftime, but could never get much closer on the scoreboard. The press also allowed the Kohawks to add to their season highlight reel.

Early in the second half, freshman guard Matt Meyer crossed halfcourt after dribbling through a trap. He had senior forward Sam Stix open underneath the basket, but instead of firing a chest pass he lobbed the ball into the air.

'I was thinking, ‘No!' But then Sam got to it,” Daoust said. 'It was a great play.”

Daoust followed the team's first alley-oop of the season with his own first dunk of the season, stealing the ball at midcourt and cruising in for the slam. Daoust and his teammates were all smiles after the game.

'It was just a really good game all-around,” he said.