OAKLAND CITY, Ind. - Eric Echelbarger's short-handed squad returned from a short Christmas break Sunday, having made the trip to southern Indiana to play a pair of games in Oakland City's Dunn Hospitality Group Classic.

The Cougars took on the Phoenix of Cumberland University (Tenn.) inside the Johnson Center Sunday afternoon, as junior forward Kedric Anderson received a pass from Dell DeMyers and scored at the rim with five seconds remaining to lift IU Kokomo to a quality, 90-88 neutral-site win.

IU Kokomo and Cumberland traded buckets and the lead in the opening minute Sunday, as it was the Cougars who led 15-9 at the under-15 media timeout. Max Newman scored early and often, recording seven of his 22 first half points in the first four minutes of the game.

The Phoenix scored four-straight to trail by just two at 15-13, but IU Kokomo maintained a lead for the remainder of the opening 20 minutes. The lead never dipped below three and was extended to eight, as IU Kokomo led 47-40 after a high-scoring first half.

Cumberland began the second half strong, scoring six quick points to even the game at 50. A well-designed alley-oop play by the Phoenix gave them a 62-58 lead before the Cougars responded with nine-straight points of their own.

After pulling back within two points of IUK at multiple points, the Phoenix pulled even once again at 78 with 5:08 to play. Despite a high-scoring first 35 minutes of action Sunday, the scoring pace slowed tremendously down the stretch.

Noah Harris knocked down a corner triple to give IU Kokomo a three-point lead with 2:58 remaining, and it seemed as if the Cougars may be able to put the game away at the line from then on. That proved to be far from the truth however, as Cumberland tied it at 88 with 1:13 to play.

Both squads earned stops after missed three-pointers, giving IU Kokomo a chance to win it while leaving minimal time on the clock. After letting the shot clock run down, Dell DeMyers found Kedric Anderson who finished at the rim to give the Cougs a two-point lead with five seconds remaining.

Cumberland's Jalin Anglin had a chance at a late game-winner, missing a three-pointer to allow IU Kokomo to escape with a 90-88 overtime victory over the Phoenix of the Mid South Conference.

Senior forward Max Newman picked up where he left off prior to Christmas break, recording game-highs of 28 points and 17 rebounds in 38 minutes of action. Fellow forward Noah Harris added 20 points on an efficient 8-11 shooting to go along with six boards.

Evan Kretz was less efficient than normal, still managing 15 points and five boards. Like Newman, DeMyers played all but two minutes in Sunday's return to action. Dell finished with 13 points and four assists, as Chris Chin totaled a team-high five assists.

Drake Moore and Kedric Anderson were the only two Cougars available off the bench Sunday in Oakland City, as Moore played a crucial 26 minutes and Anderson ended up scoring the game-winner.

The Cougars will close out their 2024 portion of the schedule Monday with another neutral-site battle at Oakland City, this time against Concordia University (Mich.).

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.