#9 IU East tops #18 IU Southeast for RSC Men's Basketball Championship
#9 IU East tops #18 IU Southeast for RSC Men's Basketball Championship
By IU East Sports Information BOX SCORE BRACKET
NEW ALBANY, Ind. - The Indiana University East men's basketball team picked the perfect time for the program's first NAIA win at Indiana University Southeast.
IU East won the River States Conference Men's Basketball Tournament with a 78-69 victory at IU Southeast in the event's championship game on Tuesday night (Feb. 28).
The NAIA Division II No. 9 Red Wolves (26-7) had not won on the Grenadiers' home floor since joining the NAIA. IU Southeast (24-6) had not lost at home against an NAIA Division II opponent all season.
Both teams will move on to the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship as automatic qualifiers, IU East as the RSC Tournament champ and IU Southeast as the RSC regular-season champ.
KEY MOMENTS
* IU Southeast led by as much as eight in the first half, but IU East had the lead down to three points by halftime.
* There were two ties and five lead changes in the second half alone. Jordan Furlow's 3-pointer with 7:15 remaining put IU East ahead - to stay, as it turned out - at 60-58.
* IU East finished the game on a 13-7 surge. Jordan Furlow made two clutch field goals and assisted on a third in the final minutes, and the Red Wolves made seven of nine free throws down the stretch to put away the win.
SIGNIFICANT STATS
* The Red Wolves won the conference tournament for the second time. IU East also won the event in 2015.
* Field goal percentage was the decisive stat. IU East posted a .516 field goal percentage and limited IU Southeast to a .373 mark.
* Jordan Furlow scored 18 points to lead four IU East players in double figures. Furlow scored all 18 of his points in the second half, when he made 8 of 12 shots, blocked two shots, grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists.
* Jaylen McKay added 17 points for IU East. Aaron Thomas had 14 along with nine rebounds. Charles Peterson came off of the bench to add 10 points.
* Jamie Johnson led IU Southeast with 21 points.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
"Defense wins ballgames! We buckled down when we needed to and came up with huge stops. We knew it would be tough coming into their gym and pulling off the win, but we stuck together and played our game." - IU East's Jaylen McKay
"It was a fun one to play, and it always feels good to beat Southeast. We stayed poised throughout the game and continued to make big plays when we needed them." - IU East's Aaron Thomas
UP NEXT
IU East and IU Southeast will play their first-round games at the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship will be March 8 or 9 in Point Lookout, Mo.
Pairings for the national tournament will be announced Wednesday, March 1 at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. ET with a live selection show at NAIA.org.