In their first game since December 16, 2023, the Highland Cougars Men's Basketball team went on the road to Ottumwa, IA to take on the #12-ranked Indian Hills Warriors and lost by the score of 72-64.

The Warriors looked like the team that played a game more recently than the Cougars, having played their first game back a week earlier. The Warriors came out scorching hot, hitting their first 4 shots and taking a 9-2 lead.  The Warriors got up as much as 23 points in the 1^st half. The Cougars went on a quick 8-0 run to end the half, however, cutting the lead to 15, trailing by the score of 40-25 at halftime.

"First of all, credit to Indian Hills and Coach Sash, I thought they had a good game plan and executed for a long period in that first half. They have a lot of talent from top to bottom, and they came out with a high level of energy and executed well. I thought you could tell it was our first game in about 3 weeks. We were a little sloppy, and took us a while to get that game-level intensity", said Head Coach Luke Norman

In the second half, the Cougars shook the rust off, cutting the 23-point lead to 4 points. However, the Cougars were not able to complete the comeback, and the Warriors got some key defensive stops, and made 5 consecutive free throws to win by the final score of 72-64.

"I thought our players showed great character. Of course, we didn't get the result we wanted, but that is one of the best teams in the country. We could have gone our separate ways, but the guys came together at halftime and fought until the very end. We have to build off this.  I truly believe this group is close to taking that next step and about to hit our stride as February and March roll around. We are still building chemistry, with the different injuries and guys getting back healthy. We won't feel sorry for ourselves, at the end of the day you have to win regardless. We just have to keep getting better daily, and correct mistakes", said Head Coach Luke Norman.

Troy Cole Jr led the way with 20 pints, and Omar Ndiaye had his 3^rd double-double in a row, adding 19 points and 11 rebounds. Ramean Hinton chipped in 10 points and 8 rebounds.

The Highland Cougars Men's Basketball is back at home this week, as they take on Truman at 7:00 PM on Thursday, January 11, and #15 Triton on Saturday, January 13 at 3:00 PM.