GARY, Ind. - The IU Kokomo men's basketball team headed north Saturday for the second game of a home-and-home series with IU Northwest, completing the season sweep of the RedHawks with a 97–92 road victory.
FAST FACTS
- LOCATION: Savannah Center | Gary, IN
- UPDATED RECORDS: IU Kokomo - 8-3, IU Northwest - 5-6
- NAIA TOP-25 RANKINGS: IU Kokomo - N/A, IU Northwest - N/A
THE RUNDOWN
- IU Northwest took an early 6–2 lead before IU Kokomo responded with 13 consecutive points, taking a nine-point lead on the road just over six minutes into the game. The Cougars held a comfortable lead for the remainder of the half, maintaining at least a four-point margin on their way to a 38–33 halftime advantage.
- A Ladaion Barnes three-pointer in the opening minute of the second half cut the IU Kokomo lead to two, and that was as close as IU Northwest would get until the 10:45 mark, when the RedHawks pulled within one.
- IU Northwest briefly tied the game and remained within striking distance for the rest of the contest, but could not string together enough stops to contain the high-powered IU Kokomo offense. The Cougars went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minute, sealing a five-point road win over rival IU Northwest.
LEADING THE CHARGE
- Senior Ty Wills led a group of four Cougars who scored 15 or more points in the win. Wills went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, finishing with a team-high 23 points and nine assists.
- Patric Matson scored 14 of his 22 points in the first half, finishing 6-for-11 from beyond the arc while pulling down six defensive rebounds.
- Joseph Annan Jr. recorded another double-double, tallying 21 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in the victory.
- Freshman Jake McGraw provided a scoring spark in his second career start, scoring 12 of his 16 points early in the second half. He finished with 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field.
- Ty'Reese Burnett added eight points off the bench, hitting both of his three-point attempts.
INSIDE THE HUDDLE
- "Happy to head into Christmas break with a hard fought win on the road! I thought offensively we did a nice job sharing the basketball and anytime you can shoot 94% from the foul line, good things will follow. Defensively we were not strong today and that is an area that we will need to improve as we move forward." - Head Coach Eric Echelbarger
THE ROAD AHEAD
- Next Game: 12/29 vs Campbellsville (at Oakland City) - 2:00 PM ET
- Next Home Game: 1/6 vs Oakland City - 6:00 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
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