Red Wolves - IU East

ASHLAND, Ore. - The Red Wolves will have to rebound.

The Indiana University East men's basketball team will have to rebound - figuratively - from a 90-85 loss Oct. 30 at Southern Oregon University and get ready to face NAIA Division II No. 11 Oregon Institute of Technology on Oct. 31.

And the Red Wolves have to rebound - literally - with more success than they had against the Raiders, who enjoyed a 45-31 advantage on the boards in the season opener for both teams.

"Rebounding says it all," said IU East coach Mark Hester. "That caught up with us today."

The first play set the tone - unfortunately for the Red Wolves.

IU East yielded two offensive rebounds on the first play of the new season.

It proved an omen on a day when rebounding made the difference. Southern Oregon's rebounding advantage resulted in a seven-point edge in second-chance points in what proved to be a five-point game.

IU East was within three with the ball with less than 30 seconds remaining, but a missed shot and a Southern Oregon breakaway put the game out of reach.

"We were there," said junior guard Tyler Rigby (Bryant, Ind./Jay County High School). "I think we had enough energy and intensity at points, but we needed it the whole game."

Free throws and a flurry of Raider 3-pointers in the first half also hurt the Red Wolves

Southern Oregon made 28 of 39 free throws. IU East was 11 of 21 at the line and missed two go-ahead opportunities late in the second half.

The Raiders made 7 of 10 3-pointers in the first half to erase an early IU East lead.

"Give them credit. They made shots, they got rebounds, and we didn't," Hester said.

"Our transition defense really hurt us in the first half. They really hurt us with those 3s and got on a run.

Channing Coffey (Pulaski, Tenn./Motlow State Community College) and Rigby scored 18 points apiece for the Red Wolves. Senior forward Justin Hawkins (Evansville, Ind./Kentucky Wesleyan College) added 15 points and a team-high six rebounds

Four players scored in double figures for Southern Oregon, led by Ryan Staker with 13.

Neither team led by more than seven. David Grant's free throw with 2:10 remaining put SOU ahead for good after IU East had rallied from five down to tie the game at 80.

"We played hard enough," Rigby said. "Just those mental lapses here or there cost us the game."

IU East concludes its two-game Oregon trip with a game at NAIA Division II No. 11 Oregon Tech on Oct. 31 at 10:30 p.m. Indiana time.

"No one else in the country is starting out with games like this," Hester said.

WATCH THE GAME

Indiana University East fans can follow the men's basketball team through video streaming when the Red Wolves play Oregon Institute of Technology on Oct. 31.

Click here for live video for the IU East-Oregon Tech men's basketball game at 10:30 p.m. Oct. 31.

(You will be asked to create a viewer login that will allow you access to the Webcast).