Winston's Late Heroics Lift Indians Over Shawnee

ULLIN, Ill - The Indians locked in defensively down the stretch to hand Shawnee its first loss of the season, edging the Saints 59-57 on Monday.

The Indians (2-3) held the high-powered Saints (4-1), who entered averaging more than 86 points per game, to just 57, nearly 30 below their season mark.

ICC built a 31-20 lead late in the first half before Shawnee closed the gap to 31-28 at the break.

The second half remained tight, and the Saints tied the game at 57-57 on a three-pointer with 1:01 to play. Damarion Winston answered on the next possession, splitting defenders and finishing at the rim to put ICC back in front 59-57 with 44.4 seconds remaining. Shawnee forced a turnover and had a chance to even the score in transition, but Wilson hustled back to block a shot from behind. The Saints gathered the loose ball but missed a floater from just outside the paint in the final seconds and couldn't find a handle on the rebound as time expired.

Winston filled the stat sheet with 10 points, seven assists, six rebounds, three steals and a block.

DJ Davis led the Indians with 11 points, while Dailin Cooperwood and Jaden Harper added 10 apiece. Kyler Fox contributed eight points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to go with three blocks in his first collegiate start.

The Indians will be back in action Thursday when they host Calhoun at 7 p.m.