KOKOMO, Ind. – The Indiana University Kokomo women's basketball team dropped a tightly-contested game to conference foe Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, 69-67. The Cougars fall to 1-6 overall and 0-3 in River States Conference play.

IU Kokomo came out of the gates hot, scoring the first eight points of the game on their way to a dominant first quarter performance. Sierra Peete had ten points and Tia Chambers added eight to lead IU Kokomo in the opening quarter. The Cougars extended their lead to ten at the end of the first quarter on a Shamaria Walker jumper, taking a 22-12 lead into the second period.

The Pomeroys scored the first six points of the second quarter to cut the Cougar led to four, but a triple from Gabrielle Joyner stretched the IUK lead back to seven at 25-18. SMWC slowly cut into the IU Kokomo lead over the course of the second quarter and a Brooklyn Jones jumper for the Pomeroys tied the game at 31 with 2:24 remaining in the first half. SMWC outscored IU Kokomo over the final two minutes to take a 35-33 lead into halftime.

The Cougars came out of halftime with some intensity, scoring the first six points of the second half to take a 39-35 lead. The third quarter featured back-and-forth action and saw four lead changes. The Pomeroys took a narrow 47-46 lead into the fourth quarter.

SMWC dominated the opening six and a half minutes of the final quarter, extending their lead to as many as 13 at 66-53 with 3:20 remaining in the game. The Cougars were not done yet, as they finished the game on a 14-3 run. Trailing 69-67, IU Kokomo missed a potential game-winning three pointer with six seconds remaining to fall to SMWC.

IU Kokomo had three in double-figures in the loss Tuesday evening. Sierra Peete led the Cougars with 20 points, while Tia Chambers had a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds. Gabrielle Joyner added 15 points.

The Cougars will be back-in-action a week from today, November 30, as they host Oakland City inside the Student Activities and Events Center. Tipoff is set for 5:30 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.