LIVONIA, Mich. - The Indiana University Kokomo men's basketball team earned its first win of the season Friday, securing a 98-93 overtime victory at (RV) Madonna in a minor upset.

FAST FACTS

• LOCATION: Alliance Catholic Credit Union Arena | Livonia, MI
• UPDATED RECORDS: IU Kokomo - 1-1, Madonna University (Mich.) - 2-1
• NAIA TOP-25 RANKINGS: IU Kokomo - N/A, Madonna University (Mich.) - RV

THE RUNDOWN 

• Evan Kretz was unstoppable early in Friday's contest, going a perfect 4-for-4 from three to account for IU Kokomo's first 12 points. His fourth triple in the opening six minutes brought the game even at 16.
• A five-point burst from Joseph Annan Jr. put IU Kokomo ahead 22-19, but the Crusaders of Madonna responded with a five-point run of their own. Trailing 38-33 late in the first half, the Cougars rallied to tie it at 38, before a buzzer-beater gave Madonna a two-point lead at the break.
• Madonna, an NAIA Top-25 receiving votes team, came out strong in the second half, quickly turning their two-point halftime lead into a nine-point advantage in under three minutes. Eighth-year head coach Eric Echelbarger's IU Kokomo squad responded however with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to just one.
• The Crusaders surged over the next four minutes, outscoring IU Kokomo 15-4 and building their largest lead of the game at 12 with 11 minutes remaining.
• Trailing 66-54, IU Kokomo responded with an eight-point run to narrow the gap, but Madonna repeatedly pushed the lead back to nine. Even as the Crusaders countered every Cougar run, IU Kokomo refused to fold, rallying late to tie the game at 80 with under two minutes remaining.
• Heading into overtime tied 82 after regulation, Madonna jumped out to an early five-point lead just a minute and a half in. The Crusaders regained a two-point edge after a Kretz three and an Alonzo Clawson-Smith bucket had tied it, but Kretz sank a pair of free throws to even the score at 91.
• After a defensive stop, Clawson-Smith grabbed an offensive rebound and swung it out to teammate Patric Matson, who drained a three-pointer to give IU Kokomo a three-point lead. It was the Cougars' only three of the night not made by Kretz.
• IU Kokomo secured key defensive stops in the final minute to close out a huge road victory, 98-93, over a strong (RV) Madonna squad.

LEADING THE CHARGE

• Graduate student Evan Kretz powered IU Kokomo with a game-high 29 points and 12 rebounds, recording his first double-double of the season. Kretz delivered timely scoring throughout the night, guiding a young Cougar squad to an impressive road victory.
• Forward Joseph Annan Jr. turned in another strong performance to open the season, finishing with 23 points and eight rebounds in 37 minutes of play.
• Ty Wills filled the stat sheet in Friday's win, contributing 19 points, six assists, and four rebounds.
• Alonzo Clawson-Smith chipped in seven points, six rebounds, and four steals, while Patric Matson buried the go-ahead three-pointer late in the game. Freshman Moses Haynes earned his second straight start at point guard, dishing out five assists while orchestrating the Cougar offense.

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

• "Gutsy effort by our guys against a very good Madonna team! We faced a large deficit in the 2nd half and kept our poise and executed down the stretch. That is a great sign for a young team that is still learning each other and our brand of basketball! #GoCougars " - Head Coach Eric Echelbarger
• "I'm proud of everyone on our team, it was a gritty win against a national tournament level team. I'm most happy about how we kept our composure when we were down 12pts with 11 minutes left to go in the 2nd half and we chipped away at the lead. Everyone had good energy and helped us pull through with a very tough road win" - Graduate student Evan Kretz

THE ROAD AHEAD

• Next Game: 11/8 vs Lawrence Tech (Mich.) at Madonna - 5:00 PM ET

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.