KOKOMO, Ind. - The IU Kokomo men's basketball team faced a tall task against a University of Rio Grande squad playing its best basketball of the season, a team that had handed the Cougars a dominant loss inside Newt Oliver Arena just two weeks ago.  

Eighth-year head coach Eric Echelbarger's squad rose to the occasion with a gritty, complete performance, securing the win and advancing to the River States Conference Championship game.

In the other RSC Semifinal on Saturday afternoon, West No. 2 seed IU Southeast defeated East No. 1 seed Shawnee State on its home floor, setting up a Championship showdown Tuesday night as West No. 1 seed IU Kokomo will host IU Southeast Tuesday night at 7:00 PM.

FAST FACTS - 78-73 win vs University of Rio Grande (Ohio.)

• LOCATION: Student Activities and Events Center | Kokomo, IN
• UPDATED RECORDS: Rio Grande - 17-13, IU Kokomo - 24-6
• NAIA TOP-25 RANKINGS: Rio Grande - N/A, IU Kokomo - N/A

THE RUNDOWN

• The Cougars were as close to full strength as they've been in a long time Saturday afternoon, using it to their advantage it in a hard-fought battle from start to finish, while Rio Grande relied on a rotation of just seven players.
• Neither team could pull away in a tightly contested matchup that featured seven ties and five lead changes, with the Cougars holding a narrow 36-35 advantage at halftime.
• IU Kokomo was extremely efficient in the second half, shooting 14 of 20 from the field and a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line, but the game remained a battle as the Rio Grande RedStorm kept pace, fueled by second-chance points (20-4) and points off turnovers (23-12).
• Rio Grande held a 73-70 lead with 2:20 remaining, but the Cougars scored the final eight points of the game. Ty Wills scored consecutive baskets at the rim before free throws from Alonzo Clawson-Smith and Jake McGraw sealed a 78-73 victory over the RedStorm in a River States Conference Championship Semifinal.

LEADING THE CHARGE

• After missing Wednesday night's semifinal win over WVU Tech due to injury, Joseph Annan Jr. returned Saturday afternoon and paced the Cougars with an ultra-efficient offensive showing. Annan Jr. poured in 22 points on 10 of 11 shooting from the floor and a perfect two for two at the free throw line, finishing just one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards.
• Alonzo Clawson-Smith logged all 40 minutes Saturday, finishing just one assist shy of a double-double with 16 points, nine assists, and three rebounds.
• Ty Wills, making his first appearance since January 23, returned Saturday in a limited role, delivering a key 15 points and going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
• Jake McGraw stuffed the stat sheet in 36 minutes of action, contributing eight points along with six rebounds and six assists.
• Evan Kretz chipped in nine points on three triples, while Ibrahim Diakite was flawless from the floor, going 4/4 for eight points and adding five rebounds. 

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

• "Fantastic effort for 40 minutes tonight against a very good Rio Grande team! I thought defensively we really did a good job of challenging every shot, which correlated with Rio's 4-24 three-point shooting clip. It was great to get Ty Wills back for the first time in over a month and I thought he played particularly well given his limited amount of practice leading up to this game. We are excited to compete for the league championship in front of our home crowd this Tuesday evening at 7:00 PM!" - Head Coach Eric Echelbarger

THE ROAD AHEAD

• Next Game: 3/3 vs IU Southeast - 7:00 PM EST (River States Conference Championship)

CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES

• The winner of Tuesday night's matchup in Kokomo between the Cougars and Grenadiers will secure the River States Conference's second automatic berth to the 88th annual NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship.
• IU Kokomo won the most recent meeting between the two teams this season in Kokomo, as Alonzo Clawson-Smith blocked a shot at the buzzer to seal a dramatic home victory over Indiana University Southeast.
• The Cougars technically swept IU Southeast in the regular season after the Grenadiers were forced to forfeit what had originally been a 90-83 home victory over IU Kokomo in the River States Conference opener on December 6th.
• IU Southeast and IU Kokomo previously met in the 2022–23 River States Conference Championship game in Kokomo, where the Grenadiers came out on top, 88-80.

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.