KOKOMO, Ind. – The Indiana University Kokomo men's basketball team opened the season Saturday evening with a narrow 69-68 victory over the Lynx of Lincoln College.

Trequan Spivey led the Cougars with 18 points and three assists, while Allante Harper added 15 points. Desean Hampton had a double-double of ten points and ten assists, despite sitting most of the first half due to foul trouble. Zach Rinehart tallied six rebounds and gave the Cougars a spark off the bench in the first half.

IU Kokomo came out of the gates hot, jumping out to a 12-5 lead just three minutes into the game. Leading by three with seven minutes to go in the first half, the Cougar defense stepped up with multiple guys sacrificing their bodies to draw charges on consecutive possessions. The Lynx eventually found their groove, going on an 11-0 run to take an eight-point lead at 31-23 with two minutes to go in the half. The Cougars finished the half strong with Allante Harper taking it coast-to-coast for a layup to cut the lead to six, before hitting a three from way beyond the arc to send the Cougars into halftime trailing 31-28.

The second half was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Cougars lead by as many as 13 points. One of the biggest stretches of the game for IU Kokomo came six minutes into the half, beginning with a two-handed jam from Desean Hampton, followed by a charge defensively, and capped off with an alley-oop pass from Hunter White to Hampton for the slam.

Lincoln, trailing by 13 with eight minutes remaining in the game, had cut the IU Kokomo lead to seven by the media timeout. The Lynx took a 68-67 lead momentarily in the final minute, but Trequan Spivey drew a foul with 21 seconds remaining to go to the line. Spivey knocked down both free throws, giving the Cougars a 69-68 lead. IU Kokomo defended the final possession well, clinching the victory with a rebound as time expired.

The Cougars will be back in action Tuesday, November 3, as they host IU Northwest inside the Student Activities and Events Center. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.