#12 IU East tops #11 WVU Tech in RSC / NAIA DII Men's Basketball Game of the Week
By IU East Sports Information
RICHMOND, Ind. – The Indiana University East men's basketball team celebrated an afternoon in the national spotlight with a 89-83 Senior Day victory against WVU Tech on Feb. 11. The matchup was the River States Conference Game of the Week and the NAIA Network Division II Men's Basketball Game of the Week.
The No. 12 Red Wolves (22-7, 13-3) have won three in a row and now control their own destiny in the race for the River States Conference East Division title entering the final week of the regular season. The No. 11 Golden Bears (20-7, 12-3) have dropped two straight.
KEY MOMENTS
* After trailing 15-5 through the first six minutes of the game, the Red Wolves used the final 14 minutes of the first half to outscore the Golden Bears 40-12 and take a 45-27 lead into halftime. IU East made 9 of 15 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes.
* WVU Tech showed it is nationally ranked by using a 14-0 run late in the second half to erase the big halftime deficit and take a 73-70 lead.
* Kyle Pipenger sank a huge three point basket with three minutes remaining to put IU East ahead to stay at 77-75.
* Bishop Smith made a 3-pointer and scored on a drive on back-to-back possessions in the game's next-to-last minute to push the Red Wolf lead to 83-76. IU East hit six free throws in the last minute to preserve the win.
SIGNIFICANT STATS
* The IU East bench outscored WVU Tech's 41-18. Bishop Smith and Kendall Rollins combined for 33 of those points. Smith finished with 23 points, including 17 in the first half as IU East built its big halftime lead.
* Pipenger scored 13 points, including the go-ahead three pointer, in his final regular season game on Lingle Court.
* WVU Tech had four players in double figures and was led by Ryan Atkins with a game-high 30 points.
* The Red Wolves finished 13-0 in the regular season in their inaugural year on Lingle Court.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
"We went to their place and fell short earlier this year. Coming back home, we hadn't lost here yet this year, so we wanted to play to our strengths, play to our advantages."
"I just took what the defense gave me. My teammates did a good job finding me in transition, and I was able to take advantage of my opportunities." - IU East's Bishop Smith
UP NEXT
IU East will finish the regular season Feb. 18 at Ohio Christian University. Tipoff is at 3 p.m. WVU Tech closes out the regular season next weekend Feb. 17-18 at home to Carlow and Point Park.