UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill. - The Indiana University Kokomo men's basketball team closed out the opening weekend of the season Saturday at Governors State, as an Evan Kretz trey in the final second propelled the Cougars to their first win of the season.

Eric Echelbarger's squad started strong as they looked to bounce back from Friday's loss, jumping out to a quick 10-2 lead less than three minutes into the game. With IUK leading 17-12, Governors State went on an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the night. 

The Jaguars led 25-22 at the midway point of the first half, but the Cougars scored the next nine points to grab a six-point lead of their own. 

The Cougars led by as many as 11 in the final minutes of the opening half, taking a 45-38 lead into halftime. 

IU Kokomo's lead ballooned to as many as 15 at 60-45 with 12 minutes to play, but the Jaguars reeled off 11 unanswered to cut the deficit to four. GSU did not manage to take the lead at that point, keeping the Cougars within striking distance down the stretch.

A pair of Jaguar buckets in the paint gave them a 76-75 lead with 56 seconds remaining before both teams traded scoring chances. It was IU Kokomo with the last laugh however, as Mason Lewis found Evan Kretz off the in-bounds pass out of a Coach Echelbarger timeout, setting him up for his fourth and most important triple of the night. The three-pointer with .03 seconds remaining gave the Cougars a 78-76 victory.

Freshman guard Mason Lewis recorded his first collegiate double-double in 36 minutes of action Saturday, totaling 11 points and 10 assists to go along with a strong five boards.

Kretz and Max Newman led the way offensively with 18 points apiece, while Newman had eight rebounds and Kretz added six. Joseph Annan Jr. had eight points and eight rebounds, as Drake Moore chipped in eight and Dell DeMyers tallied seven.

The Cougars will have a few days off before returning to action for a non-conference matchup Friday at Taylor University. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM.

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.