KOKOMO, Ind. – The Indiana University Kokomo women's basketball team dropped a tightly contested matchup Saturday afternoon to No. 18 ranked Rio Grande, 83-79. The Cougars took a 42-39 lead into the half but were unable to hold on. IUK now stands at 8-11 and 5-7 in River States Conference action.
 
IU Kokomo jumped out to a quick a 7-0 lead in what was a dominant first quarter performance from the Cougars. The Red Storm were able to cut the IUK lead to five points on multiple occasions, but a pair of Gabrielle Joyner free throws with one second remaining extended the Cougar lead to eight after one.
 
The Cougars grew the lead to nine with 7:08 to go in the first half, but a 7-0 Rio Grande run cut trimmed the IUK lead to two at 28-26. IU Kokomo managed to extend the lead back to eight points but led Rio Grande 42-39 at halftime.
 
A pair of Hailey Jordan free throws gave the Red Storm their first lead of the second half two and a half minutes in. Rio Grande maintained the lead until Sierra Peete drilled a triple to tie the game at 53 with 3:21 remaining in the third quarter. The Cougars were unable to take the lead and Rio Grande led 63-57 after three quarters.
 
The Red Storm were able to control play the first seven minutes of the fourth, building their lead to as many as 10 points with 2:39 remaining in the game. The Cougars put their toughness and resiliency was on display utilizing a 7-0 run to trim the Rio Grande lead to three-points with 1:29 left. Rio Grande was able to outscore IU Kokomo 5-4 over the final minute and a half to squeak out a 83-79 win.
 
Gabrielle Joyner led the IUK attack with 21 points on 16/18 shooting from the charity stripe. Sierra Peete had 14 points and a team-high four assists. Anya Friend contributed 12 points while Vanessa Mullins added ten points and a team-leading seven rebounds.
 
The Cougars will be back in action Tuesday evening as they welcome Brescia University to the Student Activities and Events Center. Tipoff is set for 5:00 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.