KOKOMO, Ind. – The IU Southeast women's basketball team opened conference play with a 74-72 win over IU Kokomo on Wednesday.
 
IU Southeast led 8-6 five minutes into the game. The Grenadiers closed the quarter on a 6-2 run to lead 14-8 after one.
 
IU Southeast extended their lead to seven at 18-11 before five straight points by IU Kokomo made it 18-16. The Grenadiers extended their lead to six on several occasions throughout the quarter and led 33-27 at the half.
 
IU Southeast's lead grew to double digits to open the second half. The Grenadiers led by as many as 17 in the third quarter and led 52-39 heading into the fourth.
 
The Grenadier lead swelled to 16 to open the fourth quarter, but IU Kokomo started to chip away. The Cougars cut the IU Southeast lead to 60-52 with just under five minutes to play.
 
IU Southeast was able to grow their lead back to 13 at 66-53 with three minutes left. The Grenadiers fought off several comeback attempts and led 73-63 with 45 seconds remaining.
 
Not going away easily, IU Kokomo scored six points in 15 seconds to cut the lead to four at 73-69. IU Southeast went 1-2 at the free throw line to make it 74-69, but an IU Kokomo three made it 74-72 with 10 seconds remaining. IU Southeast turned it over on the ensuing possession, but IU Kokomo missed the half-court shot attempt as time expired to give the Grenadiers a 74-72 victory.
 
Grace Stapleton led IU Southeast with 20 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Linzie Wernert had 19 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Morgan Roberts added 10 points off the bench. Ella Brown had nine points and eight rebounds, and both Skyler Mills and Taylor Treat scored eight points apiece.
 
"Proud of the way we locked in today and battled," IU Southeast head coach Abby Downard said. "Punched first for the first time in a while and I'm glad we came out with a W. Back to work tomorrow to prep for IU Northwest on Saturday."
 
IU Southeast moves to 3-7 on the year and 1-0 in RSC play. The Grenadiers host IU Northwest on Saturday.