Men's Basketball: SMWC 69, IU East 62

SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. - The Indiana University East men’s basketball team dropped its second game of the week on Saturday, Feb. 7 when the Red Wolves fell to the host Pomeroys 69-62.  The Red Wolves made things interesting in the second half, but the comeback bid fell short.

With the loss, IU East falls to 11-13 overall and 3-9 in conference play. SMWC improves to 11-13 overall and 5-7 in the league.

The Red Wolves dug a big hole in the first half, scoring just 23 points and trailing by 18 points heading into the break.

IU East showed some fight in the second and used a 13-2 run to climb to within eight points at 55-47 with 7:56 remaining in the game. The Red Wolves rode that momentum and after a Caleb Maurer 3-pointer with 3:36 left. The Red Wolves were the closest they had been since the first minute of the game and trailed 61-59. The Pomeroys however went a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the victory.

Kyle Tolbert led the Red Wolves with a game-high 20 points as Mikey Johnson added 15 points.  SMWC was led by Mike Ajukwa with 18 points.

The Red Wolves continue their road trip next Tuesday, Feb. 10 when they travel to Shawnee State University for a tipoff at 6 p.m.