MIDWAY, Ky. -- After opening the week with wins over Brescia (Ky.) and IU Southeast (Ind.), the Midway men's basketball wrapped up their busy week on Saturday (Jan. 22) when they hosted IU East (Ind.) for a River States Conference matchup in Marshall Gymnasium.

The Eagles went on an 11-0 run late in the first half and would take a 37-31 lead at halftime before leading by as many as 11 early in the second half. IU East stayed within single digits over the final 13 minutes, but never got closer than three as Midway held on for the 75-70 victory.

With the win, Joe Krupinski's squad pushes their win streak to three as they improve to 11-5 overall and 5-4 in league play. Saturday's win also was the first in program history over IU East – who drops to 9-12 overall and 4-5 in RSC play with the loss.

The opening half was a back-and forth battle that saw four ties and seven lead changes as neither team led by more than three until the final five minutes. IU East jumped to an early lead, but Midway answered and would hold a consistent lead for over seven minutes.

Trailing 20-18 and nearing the midway point of the opening half, TJ O'Connor (Miami, Fla.) came off the bench and provided the spark the Eagles needed. The junior knocked down a pair of three-pointers from deep giving Midway a brief 26-24 lead.

Jamisen Smith answered with a trey of his own as IU East regained a 27-26 lead, but a pair of freebies by Donnie Miller (Newport, Ky.) tied the game before giving Midway the lead for good.

Miller's two free throws helped kickstart an 11-0 run that was capped by three more free throws from O'Conner after he was fouled on a three-point attempt. A pair of IU East layups cut the deficit to six as the home team took a 37-31 lead into the locker room.

The Eagles pushed their lead to 11 on three different occasions early in the second half, but IU East wouldn't go away. Trailing 54-44 with 13:22 remaining, the Eagles went cold scoring just two points over the next five minutes as IU East went on a 9-2 run to get within 56-53 with 8:47 remaining.

Midway extended their lead back to double figures after Cory Gardner (Owensboro, Ky.) knocked down a triple to begin a 7-0 run as Midway led by 10 with 6:13 left. IU East got within three with 32 seconds remaining, but the home team hit 4-of-6 from the charity stripe in the final 30 seconds to help seal the 75-70 victory.

Raekwon Evans (Louisville, Ky.) led the way for the Eagles scoring a game-high 23 points as he hit a couple of big jumpers down the stretch to help secure the win. The fifth-year senior also finished with five rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

Recardo Travis (Louisville, Ky.) had a big-time bounce back performance with 17 points going 7-of-13 from the floor, while Donnie Miller also reached double figures with 11 points including a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe.

IU East finished the contest shooting 48.2 percent compared to 42.4 percent by the home team. Midway also forced the Red Wolves into 18 turnovers, while going 20-of-22 from the free throw line en route to the victory.

The Eagles are scheduled to continue their five-game homestand on Thursday (Jan. 27) when they host Carlow (Pa.) at 7:30 p.m. ET inside Marshall Gymnasium.

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