KOKOMO, Ind. - The IU Kokomo men's basketball team continued their winning ways Tuesday night inside the SAEC, picking up their eighth-consecutive win with a 91-84 triumph over a Saint Mary-of-the-Woods team that had won 14 straight games. With the crucial River States Conference West Division victory, the Cougars are now 13-4 overall and 4-1 in RSC play.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods and Rio Grande each entered Tuesday night unbeaten in RSC play and atop of their respective divisions, but both squads fell on the road to make way for IU Kokomo and a three-way-tie atop the conference standings with records of 4-1.

The match-up lived up to the hype early, as the Cougars and Pomeroys traded buckets early. Trailing 14-8, IU Kokomo's Joseph Annan Jr. scored five-straight points to cut the deficit to a point.

A Dell DeMyers jumper gave the Cougars a lead at 20-19, but Saint Mary-of-the-Woods would take it right back and lead 25-21. IU Kokomo immediately responded however, scoring five-consecutive points capped off by a Noah Harris triple to regain the lead at 26-25.

Leading 31-29, a quick 6-0 spurt from Coach Echelbarger's squad gave them their largest lead of the game to that point with 3:54 to play in the first half. IU Kokomo outscored SMWC 9-6 down the stretch to take an 11-point, 46-35 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Led by quality head coach Jesse McClung, it was known that the Pomeroys would not go away quietly despite trailing by double-digits to begin the second half. IU Kokomo led 54-44 before SMWC utilized a 12-0 run to take their first lead of the second half at 56-54. 

Junior forward Kedric Anderson scored four-straight points to give the Cougars a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game, despite the fact that SMWC remained within striking distance. 

Another Noah Harris three-pointer with 3:24 remaining in the second half extended the IU Kokomo lead to double-digits, serving as an initial dagger in the hopes of the Pomeroys. The Cougars would hold off Saint Mary-of-the-Woods down the stretch to win 91-84 and move into a three-way-tie for first place in the River States Conference standings. 

Five Cougars scored in double-figures, led by sophomore forward Joseph Annan Jr. with 20 points on a perfect 6-6 shooting from the field. Joe also hit eight of nine at the charity stripe. 

Max Newman followed with 18 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while Noah Harris added 16 points and 10 boards for his third double-double of the season. 

Kedric Anderson chipped in a key 13 points in 20 minutes of action off the bench, as Evan Kretz knocked down a pair of treys and drew a pair of fouls in the act to finish with 11 points. 

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 1:00 PM, with the women to follow at approximately 3:00 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.