PIPPA PASSES, Ky. - The Indiana University Kokomo men's basketball team returned to action Thursday at Alice Lloyd for the first time since seeing their eight-game win-streak come to an end Saturday against IU East. 

After trailing by 10 at halftime, the Cougars pulled even with five minutes and some change to play, yet the Eagles pulled away down the stretch to earn the win. IU Kokomo is now 13-6 overall and 4-3 in River States Conference action.

The Cougars were able to outscore the Eagles by 14 in the paint, but Alice Lloyd outscored IU Kokomo by 21 points from beyond-the-arc, as 79% of IUK's points came from forwards Thursday night.

The two sides traded baskets early, as the opening five minutes was a back-and-forth affair. IU Kokomo proved to be the first to gain some separation, as a quick 7-0 burst gave the Cougars a five-point, 16-11 lead. 

Alice Lloyd battled back to take a four-point lead of their own past the midway point of the first half, as the Eagles were the better team for the remainder of the first half. Nine of their 12 triples on the night came in the opening 20 minutes, but the Cougars remained within double-digits for much of that time. 

The Eagles final three-pointer gave them a 10-point, 43-33 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.

Trailing by nine nearly two and a half minutes into the second half, IU Kokomo scored five quick points to pull themselves back into the game and within four. Alice Lloyd led 60-55 with 9:10 remaining in the game before the two sides combined to go on a two minute and 25 second scoring drought. 

Senior guard Chris Chin broke the scoring drought with a long-ball to trim the Cougar deficit to two before Joseph Annan Jr. scored six-consecutive points to hand IU Kokomo their first lead of the second half at 64-62.

Alice Lloyd's Jared Strickland drilled a triple on the next possession to give the home team a one-point lead, but Max Newman scored in the paint courtesy of Annan Jr. to allow IUK to retake a one point lead at 66-65 with 4:03 to play.

The Eagles were nails for the next couple of minutes however, scoring the ensuing nine points to lead by eight with 1:40 remaining. Noah Harris hit a trey with 1:29 remaining to cut the ALC lead to five, but the Eagles went 6/8 at the charity stripe to close out an 80-73 win over the Cougars.

Harris led IU Kokomo in scoring for a second-straight game, pouring in a game-high 19 points as one of four Cougars to score in double-figures. Max Newman recorded his 10th double-double of the season, finishing with 17 points and 15 rebounds 

Joseph Annan Jr. and Kedric Anderson each scored in double-figures off the bench, as Annan Jr. finished with 12 points and seven rebounds and Anderson chipped in 10 points. 

The Cougars will now head east to battle WVU Tech Saturday before returning home for a stretch of three-consecutive home games. Tip-off in West Virginia is set for 1:00 PM Saturday inside the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention 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.