Indiana University Kokomo

KOKOMO, Ind. - 40 minutes was not enough to decide Monday night's NAIA non-conference match up between the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) and IU Kokomo, as the Cougars outlasted the Racers, winning 95-90 in overtime.

The win is IU Kokomo's third-straight after dropping their first game of the year to WIlliam Penn. The Cougars will hit the road Saturday to battle IU Northwest at 2:00 PM ET, looking to make it four-straight wins.

Monday's opening half featured a plethora of back-and-forth action, as the two squads traded the lead early and often. It was IU Kokomo in front 14-13 before UNOH scored five-straight to take a four-point lead, yet the Cougars responded with an 11-0 run to build a seven-point lead with 7:51 to play in the first half. 

A Joseph Annan Jr. old-fashioned three-point play gave IUK their largest lead of the half at 37-25, but the Racers scored the ensuing 14 points to regain the lead with 1:02 remaining in the half. Evan Kretz knocked down a pair of free-throws in the final 10 seconds, tying the game at 39 with 20 minutes to play.

IU Kokomo and UNOH were knotted at 51 nearly five minutes into the second half before the Cougars scored seven-consecutive points for a 58-51 lead. By the 12:10 mark IUK had pushed the lead to 11, but the Racers were not done yet.

UNOH pulled within one of IUK with 5:10 to play, eventually pulling even with the Cougars with 96 seconds remaining. Neither team managed to score in those final seconds, sending the game to overtime with the score even at 80.

The Cougars and Racers traded the lead four times in the opening minutes of overtime, that is until IUK took the lead for good with 2:16 to play. Annan Jr. knocked down a pair at the line, Noah Harris drilled a triple, and Kretz hit a pair of his own from the charity-stripe, making it a 93-86 lead 44 seconds left.

IU Kokomo held off UNOH in the final moments, picking up a third-consecutive win with a 95-90 victory at home over the Racers.

Five Cougars scored in double-figures Monday, led by Noah Harris for a second-consecutive game. Harris had 19 points and 10 boards, his first double-double of the year.

Evan Kretz followed with 18 points, while Max Newman added 15 points, eight boards, and five assists. Joseph Annan Jr. finished with 13 points and seven rebounds as Dell DeMyers had 11, three, and three.

Hayden Ulerick played some big minutes at the point guard position, backing up freshman starter Mason Lewis. Ulerick had nine timely points, with Lewis totaling eight.

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.