CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The No. 2-ranked Wartburg women's basketball team suffered its first defeat of the 2020-21 season, falling 48-46 at Coe College Wednesday evening. 

The Knights, now 7-1 overall and 2-1 during American Rivers Conference action, struggled to find a consistent shooting stride. Wartburg recorded season lows in field goal percentage, going 16-of-60 from the floor along with a season low 5-29 clip from beyond the arc.
 
In the first half, the Knights committed 10 turnovers on which the Kohawks capitalized off of with 14 points. A pair of baskets from freshman Sara Faber near the one-minute mark of the second quarter trimmed the Coe lead to 24-21 heading into the break.

In the final frame, back-to-back fastbreak layups by Macy Harris gave the Knights a 41-38 lead with 6:46 remaining, the Knights' largest lead since early on in the contest.

With under five minutes left in the game, Payton Draper increased her team-leading point total to 10 with a pair of consecutive field goals to lead Coe 46-43. However, it stood as the final points of the night for Wartburg. Meanwhile, the home team tied the game with a three-point layup and free throw with 1:08 left and added a layup to claim the lead 14 seconds on the clock.

After a Knights' timeout, a final look from beyond the arc from Jaedon Murphy and a Wartburg missed jumper was off the mark. 

Up next, Wartburg hosts a nonconference game versus Westminster College this Friday, Feb. 5 at 6:15 inside Levick Arena.