No. 6 IU Kokomo falls to No. 2 Oregon Tech in NAIA DII Round of 16

3/9/2019 12:00:00 AM

By IU Kokomo Sports Inforation

Sioux Falls, S.D. – Advancing to the second round of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championships for the first time in program history, the IU Kokomo Cougars saw their historic season come to an end at the hands of Oregon Tech on Friday.

IU Kokomo took an early lead and maintained it throughout the entire first half and into the second half. Taking over the lead with 10 minutes left in the game, the Hustlin' Owls never looked back, outscoring IU Kokomo 46-27 in the half.

Location: Sanford Pentagon – Sioux Falls, S.D.

Opponent: No. 8 Oregon Tech

Score: L, 84 – 72

Record: 26-8, 13-5 RSC

As a Team:

In the first half, the Cougars shot 16-28 (57.1%) from the floor on their way to 45 points and a seven-point halftime lead. IU Kokomo finished the game 25-60 (41.7%) on shots from the floor.
IU Kokomo won the rebound battle, picking up 42 boards (16 offensive, 26 defensive) compared to Oregon Tech's 36. The Owls took advantage of offensive rebounds more efficiently, scoring 20 second chance points while IU Kokomo had 11 points.
The Cougars made four three-point attempts in the first half and made a single shot form beyond the arc after halftime.
Oregon Tech created 20 turnovers in the game, more than the Cougars season average of 12 turnovers per game.

Individually:

Akil McClain led the IU Kokomo offense in scoring with 17 points, taking eight shots from the charity stripe.
Ending the regular season in second place in NAIA Division II in total blocks, Desean Hampton collected six blocks in the game. Hampton also had 14 points, going. 6-8 from the floor.
Trequan Spivey and Antoin Cifton each ended the game with double digit points. Spivey had 14 points with five points from the free throw line, and Clifton finished with 10.

2018-2019 Season Accolades

Four victories over NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Top 25 teams, two over top 10 teams, two over teams receiving votes
- 12/30 – (RV) University of St. Francis
- 1/8 – (25) IU Southeast
- 1/21 – (RV) Brescia University
- 1/26 – (9) WVU Tech
- 2/12 – (RV) IU Southeast
- 2/23 – (14) IU East
- 3/6 – (9) Union College
First Top 25 ranking in program history
- First votes received on Jan. 8
- First ranking came at No. 24 on Feb. 5
- Finished the season ranked No. 22
River States Conference West Division Champions
First time qualifying for the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championship tournament
First win in the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championship tournament