CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa  – The Luther College men's basketball team was hoping to get off on the right foot to open the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) season. After back-to-back losses by less than a possession, the Norse were feeling confident entering Tuesday's conference opener against Coe College. Sadly, Luther was unable to leave Cedar Rapids, Iowa with a win, as the Norse fell to the Kohawks by a final score of 79-66. With the loss, Luther's record is now 1-3 and the team is 0-1 in A-R-C play. 

BY THE NUMBERS
The Norse offense got off to a strong start in the opening 20 minutes of play. The team shot a blistering .533 from the floor, nearly doubling its point total from the last two games by scoring 37 in the first half alone. However, while Luther's offense was hot, Coe was scalding, as the Kohawks jumped out to a 22-8 lead six minutes into the game. Still, the Norse did all they could to chip away at Coe's lead, as Myke Shed (Teague, Texas / Teague) cut the lead to single digits at 25-16 with his first three pointer of the night. Luther then pulled within seven with a Ben Gill (Sydney, Australia / Newington College) layup, seemingly swimming the momentum in the Norse direction. 

Sadly, seven points was the closest Luther would come to catching the Kohawks in the first half, as Coe closed the half on a 9-4 scoring run to hold a 50-37 halftime lead. The Norse, though, were not deterred, as they went to work whittling the Kohawks lead to a manageable size. Every time Luther would cut the lead down to 10 points or fewer, though, Coe would respond with another scoring run, extending its lead to 60-42 before the 15 minute mark. The Norse, though, still battled and eventually cut the lead to 65-57 on yet another three by Shed. Luther would come no closer to catching the Kohawks, as they won the game by a final score of 79-66.

TOP NORSE

• Junior Ben Gill (Sydney, Australia / Newington College) led the team in scoring Tuesday night, closing the game with 12 points on 6-10 shooting. 
• Myke Shed (Teague, Texas / Teague) went 3-6 from beyond the arc to score nine points, while Eros Carpio (Tamarac, Fla. / Pine Crest School) ended the game as the team's leading rebounder with seven total.

UP NEXT
Luther will return to nonconference play on Tuesday, November 26, as the team travels to take on Crown College the day after Thanksgiving. Tip off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota.