NEW ALBANY, Ind. – The IU Southeast men's basketball team defeated Simmons College 79-71 in the season and home opener for the Grenadiers.
 
IU Southeast led 17-9 early in the first half and extended their advantage to nine at 19-10 on a layup by Camden Pfeister. A Nathaniel Hoffman three gave IU Southeast a 24-15 edge.
 
A 9-0 run by Simmons tied the game at 24-24. IU Southeast answered with an 8-0 run of their own to extend their lead back to eight at 32-24.
 
A three-point play by Xavier Price gave IU Southeast a 37-28 lead. The Grenadiers extended their lead to double-digits at 40-30 on a three-point play by Lane Lauderbaugh.
 
A 9-2 Simmons run cut the Grenadier lead to 42-39 at halftime.
 
Simmons tied the game to open the second half, but an 8-2 IU Southeast run gave the Grenadiers a 50-44 lead. Simmons answered back with a 6-0 run to tie the game at 50-50. A 7-0 Grenadier run made it 57-50 IU Southeast.
 
IU Southeast extended their lead to nine at 61-52, but Simmons fought back to make it a three-point game at 61-58 with eight minutes left.
 
Simmons cut the lead to two and had the chance to tie or take the lead, but a missed jumper and a Lane Lauderbaugh layup gave IU Southeast a 64-60 lead with 5:35 left.
 
Simmons cut the lead back to two at 68-66 with four minutes left. The teams traded a pair of missed threes before a layup by Camden Pfeister made it 70-66 Grenadiers with 2:27 left.
 
A Simmons jumper with 1:22 remaining made it 72-68, but a three-pointer by Lane Lauderbaugh with 57 seconds remaining was the dagger. IU Southeast would go on to win 79-71.
 
"Tough game but we got tougher as it went on and made shots down the stretch," IU Southeast head coach Wiley Brown said. "That's the sign of a good team going forward. We could've gotten scared, but we weren't…They kept battling. Good win."
 
Lane Lauderbaugh recorded a double-double, leading IU Southeast with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Camden Pfeister had 16 points off the bench, and Xavier Price had 12. All 11 Grenadiers that saw action scored.
 
IU Southeast returns to action on Monday as they host Marian (Ind.)