Box Score
Photo by: Dalton Stevens

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Callisha Johnson led the University of Pikeville with 39 points, but King (Tenn.) hit 15 threes and outrebounded the Bears 50-31 to secure a 102-78 win on Thursday at the East Ky. Expo Center.

Cheyenne Madden was the only other Bear to reach double figures with 10 points, while Christin Haney pulled down a team-best six rebounds. Johnson went 14-of-27 from the field and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line, including a pair of 3-pointers.

The Tornado (1-0) were led by four players in double figures, including Chelsea Bowling with 20, Kelly Jackson with 15, Bonnie Durrett scoring 14 and Tia Keitt adding 12. Durrett also tallied a team-high nine boards.

King shot lights out from the field at 59.1 percent (39 of 66) and 62.5 percent (15 of 24) from behind the arc. UPIKE (0-2) couldn't match that mark, shooting just 35.2 percent (25 of 71).

The Bears led for the first 10 minutes, going up by seven on a free throw from Patrice Tonge, but King went on a 9-2 run to tie the score at 24-24. Keitt's basket flipped the script and gave the Tornado a seven-point lead with 5:18 left before eventually going into halftime up by three at 40-37.

Bowling knocked down a three to start the second half, which was a precursor for what was in store for UPIKE. The Tornado ended up hitting 8-of-11 3-point attempts in the half, going up by double-digits at 52-41 with 16:31 to play.

Every time the Bears would trim the lead back down, King had an answer, using a 16-7 run to lead by 21 points at 74-53. A free throw from Johnson got UPIKE within 16, but two minutes later the Tornado lead was 25 on a free throw from Jalan Harper and it stayed in the 20's for the rest of the game.

King held just a 34-32 advantage in points in the paint, but took control of the game with the play of its bench, outscoring the UPIKE reserves 34-13. Johnson's 39 points weren't a huge surprise for Bear fans as she dropped 40 points in an exhibition win to start the season.

The Bears have the weekend off before returning at 7 p.m. ET on Monday against UVa.-Wise at the East Ky. Expo Center. The Cavaliers are in their first season as NCAA Div. II members after leaving the Mid-South Conference over the summer.