KOKOMO, Ind. - The IU Kokomo men's basketball team will host IU Southeast Tuesday night in the River States Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Championship, with the winner earning the league's second automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship.
Four seasons ago, IU Kokomo and IU Southeast squared off in the RSC Championship in Kokomo, with the Grenadiers leaving town with the title.
River States Conference Tournament Championship
Tuesday, March 3rd • Kokomo, IN •
Student Activities and Events Center
West #2 seed IU Southeast at West #1 seed IU Kokomo • 7:00 PM ET
Watch Live •
Live Stats
IU Kokomo battled for a hard-fought 78-73 victory over Rio Grande on Saturday afternoon in the RSC Semifinals, avenging a 23-point loss to the same RedStorm squad just two weeks ago in Ohio.
After sitting out Wednesday's quarterfinal win over WVU Tech, Joseph Annan Jr. returned Saturday to lead IU Kokomo in both scoring and rebounds against Rio Grande. He finished with a team-high 22 points and nine boards, while Alonzo Clawson-Smith contributed across the stat sheet with 16 points and nine assists.
IU Southeast comes into Tuesday riding a hot streak, winning nine straight and claiming 14 victories in their last 16 contests. The Grenadiers advanced to the championship game with an 82-70 upset of the conference's top seed, Shawnee State, on their home floor Saturday afternoon.
IU Kokomo and IU Southeast met twice during the regular season as West Division rivals, with each team winning on its home court. In hindsight, the Grenadiers were forced to forfeit their December win over the Cougars, effectively giving IU Kokomo the regular-season West Division crown, as both teams finished with identical 12-4 conference records.
Senior guard Ty Wills, who made his return in Saturday's semifinal victory over Rio Grande, was also available for IU Kokomo's first matchup against the Grenadiers. Wills led the Cougars in New Albany in December with a team-high 23 points, while Joseph Annan Jr. added 20 points and eight rebounds. Patric Matson contributed 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting in his RSC debut.
In the rematch in Kokomo in January, Joseph Annan Jr. dominated the Grenadiers, scoring a game-high 25 points along with eight rebounds. Jake McGraw was instrumental over 38 minutes, totaling 16 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, while Alonzo Clawson-Smith and Evan Kretz each added double-digit scoring as well.
For IU Southeast, Nathaniel Hoffman was the star in the first meeting, scoring a game-high 32 points on eight triples, before being held to just eight points in the rematch in Kokomo. The Grenadiers feature a balanced offensive attack, with multiple players capable of leading the team on any given night.
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.
