KOKOMO, Ind. - First year head coach Lisa Pflueger's squad earned their second-straight River States Conference win and third of the season Tuesday night, holding off the Pomeroys of SMWC to win 71-70. With the win, the Cougars are now 7-9 overall and 3-2 in RSC action.

Coming into Tuesday night, IU Kokomo and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods were each 2-2 in RSC play. IUK is now in a tie for second in the West Divison with Brescia at 3-2, as Oakland City leads the division at 5-0.

Fifth-year senior and current graduate student Anna Kiser enjoyed a career night in her 84th career start, as she scored a career-high 29 points while pulling down a career-high 15 rebounds in a crucial victory.

12 of Kiser's 29 points came in the opening 10 minutes, as the Cougars offense was rolling early, outscoring the Pomeroys 24-15 in the first quarter. The lead was just four at 12-8 before six-straight IUK points made it a 10-point lead late in the first.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods bounced back in the second quarter, stifling the IU Kokomo offense as they looked to cut into the nine-point deficit. The Pomeroys allowed the Cougars to build the lead to 11 with 4:20 remaining in the first half, but six-straight Pomeroys points made it a five point game with just over a minute remaining.

The Cougars led by six at 34-28 heading into the locker room at halftime.

IU Kokomo would prove to maintain the lead for the entirety of the second half, but the Pomeroys kept themselves in the game and had a chance at the end. The Cougars quickly extended their lead to nine in the opening minutes of the second half, but SMWC managed to keep the deficit around five-points for the remainder of the quarter.

A Pomeroy bucket at the third quarter buzzer made it a four-point ballgame heading into the fourth quarter.

Leading by four, the Cougars scored consecutive buckets to extend the lead to eight just over six minutes to play. SMWC struggled to trim the deficit below five, but finally trimmed the IUK lead to three with 1:26 remaining.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods drilled a three-pointer to pull within two with five seconds remaining, but Hannah Hodgen knocked down a pair at the line for the Cougars to ice the game and extend the lead back to four. SMWC's Destiny Thomas drilled another triple as time expired, but the Pomeroys fell short to IU Kokomo 71-70.

Two other Cougars scored in double-figures outside of Kiser's 29 points. Mia Catey scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for her third-straight double-double and fifth of the season, while Chloe McClain added 11 points in 31 minutes of action off the bench.

The Cougars will wrap up the current three game home-stand Saturday with a match-up against conference rivals IU East. Tip-off is set for 3:00 PM, with the men's game opening the doubleheader at 1:00 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.