Red Wolves - IU East

RICHMOND, Ind. - The Red Wolves never wanted to get a win against one of the nation's top teams this way, but they'll certainly take it.

The Indiana University East men's basketball team concluded its regular season with an 88-72 Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win against a shorthanded Indiana University Southeast team on Feb. 20 in the Richmond High School Tiernan Center.

The Grenadiers are ranked No. 3 in the NAIA Division II Coaches Poll, but brought just two players from their usual roster to Richmond.

Six IU Southeast players were suspended after a "bench-clearing brawl" in the Grenadiers' Feb. 18 game at Berea College.

IU Southeast filled its roster for the Feb. 20 game with walk-ons.

"It would feel better if they had their whole team," said IU East senior Noah Douglas (Indianapolis, Ind./St. Joseph's College).

"But at the same time, a win is a win, and it goes down in the record books the same as if they had their whole team there."

The record books will show IU East (14-13, 6-7) beat IU Southeast (22-4, 11-1) for the first time since the Red Wolves joined the NAIA for the 2007-08 season.

IU East also picked up its first win against a team ranked in the NAIA Division II Coaches Top 25.

And the Red Wolves earned the right to host a KIAC Tournament quarterfinal on Feb. 23.

IU East will be the No. 4 seed in the eight-team tournament and will face No. 5 seed Asbury College at a time and site to be announced.

It all comes with an asterisk in the eyes of IU East coach Mark Hester.

"You don't want to win like this," Hester said. "As a competitor you want to play the best. It's a hollow victory.

"But (the suspensions) aren't our kids' fault. And the team IU Southeast put on the floor, I commend those kids. They played extremely hard and gave their all. That team they put out there could finish in the middle of the KIAC."

Junior guard Tyler Rigby (Bryant, Ind./Jay County High School) led IU East with 22 points. Douglas added 19 points and 15 rebounds off the bench.

Derrick Hobbs - one of the walk-ons for IU Southeast - led the Grenadiers with 18 points.

Rigby scored eight points in a 14-4 IU East run that gave the Red Wolves a 62-49 lead with 11 minutes remaining. IU East led by at least seven the rest of the way.

Hester said he didn't sleep the night before the game because he knew the remaining Grenadiers would give an inspired effort.

The fears were justified as IU Southeast jumped ahead 9-3 and held the lead for much of the first 12 minutes.

IU East regrouped to lead 38-37 at the break. The Red Wolves continued to build their advantage in the second half as they got hot from the perimeter (8 of 16 from 3-point range in the second half) and Douglas dominated on the inside.

Douglas and fellow seniors Bijon Jones, Jacobe Edmondson and Justin Hawkins were honored after the game.

"This was a really good way to go out," Douglas said. "We had a lot of fun in the second half and it was a good way to end the season."