KOKOMO, Ind. - The IU Kokomo men's basketball team outlasted Ohio Christian Saturday afternoon 79-75 in a game that proved to be a dog-fight. With the win, the Cougars improve to 12-5 overall and 6-1 in River States Conference play.

Ohio Christian scored the first four points of the game for an early 4-0 lead. IU Kokomo trailed 6-4 before an old-fashioned three-point play from Chris Chin gave the Cougars their first lead of the game at 7-6.

With the game tied at 19, the Trailblazers used a 6-0 run to take a 25-19 lead, their largest lead of the game to that point. IU Kokomo got within four, but Ohio Christian led 32-25 at halftime.

While the Cougars struggled at times in the first half, they came out of halftime strong. Ohio Christian knocked down a three-pointer to extend their lead to ten, but IU Kokomo responded with an 11-0 run to take a one-point lead. 

Both teams traded buckets for the next five minutes of action, but IU Kokomo eventually broke away. Leading 48-47 and coming out of a timeout, IU Kokomo utilized an 8-0 run to extend their lead to nine with eight minutes to play.

A Hunter White and-one gave IU Kokomo their largest lead of the game of 11 points with 5:43 remaining. Ohio Christian got within four with three minutes to go but the Cougars answered with four-straight points to extend the lead back to eight.

IU Kokomo led by nine with 57 seconds remaining, but threes on consecutive possessions in the final 16 seconds pulled OCU within three at 78-75 with just three seconds remaining. Hunter White was fouled and hit 1-2 from the line, essentially icing the game. It was too little too late from the Trailblazers, as IUK held on to win 79-75.

Five Cougars scored in double-figures, providing some much needed scoring depth against a tough Ohio Christian squad. Zach Rinehart paced the Cougars in scoring with 15 points to go along with nine rebounds. Julien Hunter added 14 points off the bench.

Darian Porch had a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds. Hunter White was a rebound shy of a double-double, scoring 12 points as well. Xavier Hines was the third Cougar to score 12 points on the afternoon.

The Cougars will have a week off before returning to action next Saturday at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. Tip-off is set for 3:00 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.