NEW ALBANY, Ind. – The Indiana University Kokomo men's basketball team defeated IU Southeast 80-70 Saturday afternoon for their seventh consecutive victory. The Cougars now sit at 12-2 overall and 5-1 in River States Conference play.

Both teams struggled to score early on, but it was the Grenadiers who held a lead for the majority of the first half, leading by as many as seven. Darian Porch got the scoring started for the Cougars with a layup to tie the game at two.

IU Southeast led by as many as seven in the first half at 22-15, but a layup from Zach Rinehart tied the game at 27-27 with 3:39 remaining in the half. Two possessions later, Trequan Spivey knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Cougars their first lead of the game at 29-27. The Grenadiers would finish the first half on an 8-2 run to to take a 35-31 lead over the Cougars into halftime.

The first seven minutes of the second half featured more of the same tightly contested action seen in the first half until the Cougars took the lead for good on a Darian Porch three-ball. A Spivey triple extended the IUK lead to 57-51 and forced an IU Southeast timeout with 11:45 remaining in the game.

IU Southeast cut the Cougar lead to four on a layup out of the timeout, but that would be as close as they got for the remainder of the game. IUK grew their second-half lead to as many as 11 and controlled the final ten minutes of play on their way to their seventh all-time win over IU Southeast, 80-70.

Senior Guard Trequan Spivey led IU Kokomo with 28 points and seven rebounds. Hunter Jackson contributed 13 points on 3-5 shooting from three-point range. Noah Harris added 11 while Zach Rinehart had 10 points and seven rebounds. Hunter White filled the stat-sheet with nine points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.

The Cougars face a quick turnaround as they will travel to Muncie, Indiana tomorrow for an exhibition game against Division I Ball State. Tipoff is set for 1:00 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.