KOKOMO, Ind. – The Indiana University Kokomo men's basketball team earned a spot in the River States Conference Men's Basketball Championship with a 77-65 victory over IU East in Saturday's semifinal game. IU Kokomo has now won a program-record 28 games this season and are on a 16-game winning streak, also a program best. 
 
At the 19:42 mark in the second half, Desean Hampton pulled down his ninth rebound of the game, making him the first IU Kokomo men's basketball player to reach 1,000 career rebounds. Hampton is just the second player in men's or women's history to reach 1,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds in his career. The fifth-year senior finished with his 14th double-double of the season with 15 points and 17 rebounds. Hampton also had seven blocks in the win. 
 
Trequan Spivey was the top scorer for the Cougars, finishing with 19 pts. Hunter White scored 18 in the game, 12 of them coming in the second half. Allante Harper was the fourth Cougar in double-figures, finishing with 11 points to go along with four assists. 
 
IU Kokomo dominated the glass, outrebounding the Red Wolves, 47-30 including 14 offensive boards. 
 
After IU East jumped out to a 3-0 lead, the Cougars rattled off 17 unanswered points to take control of the game. At the 12:00 media, IU Kokomo built a 25-12 lead over the Red Wolves. Spivey gave IU Kokomo its largest lead of the half with 7:22 to play after a jumper out the Cougars in front 30-12.
 
Hampton closed out the half with an old fashioned three-point play to give the Cougars a 42-28 advantage heading into halftime. 
 
Spivey was 5-of-7 from the field in the opening 20 minutes to lead all scorers with 13 points. 
 
IU Kokomo led the entire second half, but IU East attempted to mount a comeback. Spivey put the Cougars up 21, their largest lead of the game when he knocked down a triple at the 14:39 mark. 
 
The Red Wolves went on a 14-3 run to cut their deficit to 10 points with 9:07 to play in the game. That would be as close as IU East would get for the remainder of the game, as the Cougars secured their spot in next week's championship game. 
 
IU Kokomo will host West Virginia Tech on Tuesday night for the RSC Men's Basketball Championship crown. The Cougars and Golden Bears will tip at 7:00 p.m. at the Student Activities & Events Center. Admission to Tuesday's championship game will be free of charge. 
 
The aggressive Cougar attack got to the free throw line 28 times on Saturday, converting 20 of those attempts. 
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.