KOKOMO, Ind. — The IU Northwest RedHawks erased a 16-point second-half deficit and sent the game to overtime Wednesday night, but IU Kokomo, a team receiving votes in the national poll, pulled away at the free-throw line for an 85-78 win at the Student Activities & Events Center.
The RedHawks (1-2) got off to a fast start. Tommy Snyder grabbed his own miss and put it back for the game's first basket, then buried a 3-pointer off a Jamie Hodges Jr. assist to make it 5-0. Kokomo (2-0) answered with a Hudson Horvath 3-pointer to take a 7-6 lead and used its length on the glass and trips to the line to open a 33-22 halftime lead. IU Northwest shot 25 percent in the first half.
Moses Haynes' 3-pointer early in the second half stretched Kokomo's lead to 38-22, its largest of the night. The RedHawks refused to fold. Amarion Johnson swatted back two shots in the opening minutes, and IU Northwest began to chip away. Hodges fed Snyder and Johnson for baskets inside, and Zach Greene's layup trimmed the gap to 51-48. The RedHawks pulled within two on a Johnson layup with 10:05 left.
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Johnson tied the game at 55 with a layup, added the free throw for a 56-55 lead, and Snyder's layup made it 58-55 with 6:48 to play. The teams traded baskets down the stretch, and Horvath's 3-pointer with 2:40 left put Kokomo back up 68-61. Greene answered with a layup, two free throws and a pair of late scores, including a layup and free throw with 50 seconds left that tied it at 68. Snyder's jumper at the regulation buzzer rimmed out.
In overtime, Kokomo went to the line again. Jake McGraw scored six points, including a dunk, and the Cougars made 11 of 13 free throws in the extra period. Johnson's 3-pointer with 1:46 left cut it to 79-74, and Greene's layup at the final horn capped the scoring.
"To go toe-to-toe with a team receiving votes nationally, and to battle back from 16 down to force overtime, says a lot about this group," IU Northwest head coach Javier Heridia said. "We're proud of the fight we showed last night, and we're looking forward to the rest of the season."
Snyder led the RedHawks with 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Johnson recorded a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds, 12 of them on the defensive end, and blocked five shots. Greene scored 16 points off the bench, 11 of them in the second half. Hodges added nine points and a team-high six assists, and Taray Howell also scored nine.
IU Northwest outscored Kokomo 46-35 in the second half, shot 48.6 percent after halftime and held edges in rebounding (47-45), points in the paint (50-42) and second-chance points (16-8). Kokomo, however, made 28 of 42 free throws, compared with 17 of 29 for the RedHawks.
IU Northwest returns home for homecoming on Saturday, Nov. 7 in the Savannah Center, hosting Saint Ambrose University at 1 p.m.
