No. 6 IU Kokomo upsets No. 3 Union (Ky.) in NAIA DII Men's Basketball Tournament
No. 6 IU Kokomo upsets No. 3 Union (Ky.) in NAIA DII Men's Basketball Tournament
By IU Kokomo Sports Information
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – In the program's first trip to the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship in Sioux Falls, S.D., the No. 6 seed Cougars are advancing to the round of 16.
IU Kokomo matched up with the No. 3 seed Union (Ky.) College in the first round of the tournament on March 6. The back-and-forth contest saw the lead change seven times and saw the Cougars take control down the stretch for the biggest win-to-date in program history.
Location: Sanford Pentagon – Sioux Falls, S.D.
Opponent: No. 9 Union College
Score: W, 89 – 83
Record: 26-7, 13-5 RSC
As a Team:
•A nine-point lead was the largest for the Cougars, coming in the second half with 4:38 left in the game.
•IU Kokomo held a big edge on the glass, winning the rebound battle 54 to 32 total boards. The Cougars had 17 offensive and 37 defensive rebounds.
•Winning the battle down low, the Cougars totaled 54 points in the paint, compared to Union's 34.
•IU Kokomo shot 60 percent in the second half and finished shooting nearly 50 percent for the game.
•From the free throw line, IU Kokomo went 23-27 – taking advantage of the Bulldogs 20 personal fouls.
Individually:
•Trequan Spivey led IU Kokomo with a game-high 28 points after shooting 11-17, one of four Cougars in double figures.
•Both Desean Hampton (15 pts, 14 reb.) and Antoin Clifton (15 pts, 11 reb) tallied double-doubles for the Cougars.
•Darian Porch narrowly missed the double-double mark with 12 points and six rebounds of his own.
•DT Gary finished with five points and led the Cougars with five assists.
Next Up:
With the first-round victory, the Cougars will stay in South Dakota to face the No. 2 seed Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls on Friday at 2:45 p.m. (ET). Oregon Tech came into the tournament with a record of 24-7 and defeated the No. 7 seed Antelope Valley in the first round of the tournament by a score of 75 – 65.