KOKOMO, Ind. – The No. 22 ranked Indiana University Kokomo men's basketball team opened up the River States Conference Men's Basketball Championship with an 81-66 victory over Ohio Christian University in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday night.
 
Fifth-year seniors Trequan Spivey and Desean Hampton led the Cougars to their 15th straight victory. Spivey led all scorers with 28 points on an efficient 12-of-15 shooting. Hampton continued his dominance on the glass, pulling down 21 rebounds for the second straight game. Hampton also scored 15 points to earn his 13th double-double of the season. 
 
The first eight minutes of the game were played close as the Cougars never led by more than five points. Noah Harris knocked in in a triple at the 11:30 mark to give IUK a seven-point advantage. The Trailblazers responded with a three of their own to cut their deficit back to four points at 25-21. 
 
The Cougars offense found its rhythm, going on an 11-0 run to extend the IU Kokomo lead to 15 points. Minutes later, Hampton completed a three-point play to give the Cougars their largest lead of the game, 17 points, with 4:43 to play in the half. 
 
At the break, IU Kokomo led by 14 points. 
 
The second half started slow as both teams combined for nine points over the first three minutes. Both offenses went cold, as the game went just over three minutes without a basket. The Traiblazers would break the cold spell, converting one-of-two free throws with 14:08 led to make it a 53-42 game in favor of IU Kokomo. 
 
Ohio Christian cut their deficit to nine points with 10:40 to go in the game, but the Trailblazers had no-answer for the fast-paced IUK offense. The Cougars managed to stay in front, securing their spot in the semifinals on Saturday.
 
The tournament's No. 1 overall seed will now host IU East on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Student Activities & Events Center. 
 
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.