NEW ALBANY, Ind. - The IU Kokomo men's basketball team took on IU Southeast Saturday afternoon in New Albany in the River States Conference opener, where the Grenadiers emerged victorious 77-64. The Cougars are now 5-4 overall and 0-1 in River States Conference play.

IU Kokomo and IU Southeats traded buckets on the opening four possessions of Saturday's match-up before either sides defense found their footing. The Cougars trailed 19-12 before scoring six-straight to pull within one at the 10 minute mark of the first half.

Drake Moore knocked down a triple to cut the deficit back down to four at 31-27 late in the half, but the Grenadiers closed the half with a 6-0 spurt to lead by 10 at halftime.

Experienced head coach Eric Echelbarger's squad found themselves down by just five on three occasions in the opening minutes of the second half, but that was as close as the Cougars got for the remainder of the game. 

Despite only outscoring IU Kokomo by three points in the second half, IU Southeast maintained a healthy lead on their way to a 13-point home win over the Cougars.

Howard County's own Evan Kretz led the Cougars offensively, scoring a game-high 21 points on 5/10 shooting from three-point range. Kedric Anderson, a junior from nearby Anderson, Indiana, made his first start in his IU Kokomo career, finishing with nine points and three rebounds on 50% shooting from the field in 30 minutes of action.

Noah Harris and Joseph Annan Jr. each added nine points, while Chris Chin and Drake Moore both scored six apiece.

The Cougars will return to action this Friday, as they will host East-West at 7:00 PM.

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.