Box Score

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – It seemed like UVa.-Wise had an answer for everything on Monday night, keeping its lead hovering around 10 points throughout the second half to beat the University of Pikeville women's basketball team 79-71 at the East Ky. Expo Center.

After leading by just five at halftime, the Cavaliers went on a 7-0 run to open the second half. From there the lead never grew higher than 13 points, but was also never cut to lower than six which came with nine seconds left on a Kayla Day free throw.

The Cavaliers (3-0) made free throws when it mattered, hitting 13-of-17 attempts in the second half, including going 7 for 9 in the final two minutes.

Callisha Johnson paced UPIKE with 23 points and four rebounds, while Cheyenne Madden and Patrice Tonge joined her in double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Jayme Jackson led the Bears with five rebounds and four assists.

Pikeville's bench tallied a 38-15 scoring advantage, but the Cavaliers made it a wash with a 30-10 lead in points off turnovers. UPIKE led the game in giveaways 22-17.

Led by a 62.5-percent showing in the first half, the Cavs finished shooting 51 percent overall (26 of 51), compared to 46.6 percent for the Bears (27 of 58).

Only seven players appeared in the game for UVa.-Wise but five of them scored in double figures, led by Kenzie Poindexter with 17 and Makenzie Cluesman and Katie Jo Lester with 15 each. Taylor Sandidge pulled down a game-high 10 boards.

After jumping out to a 4-0 lead to start the game, Pikeville stayed on top for the first 15 minutes until Reynesha Archer's layup tied it at 28-28 with 4:45 left in the first half. Prior to that the Bears had led by as many as eight points at 24-16 on a put back by Courtney Haney.

A minute after Archer's equalizer, Cluesman buried a three to give the Cavs a 32-31 lead which they would keep the rest of the game. Archer's free throw with 1:10 to play made it a 13-point game, although UPIKE outscored UVa.-Wise 13-6 over the next minute to trail 77-71 with 10 seconds to go.

Lester made a pair of free throws to go back up by eight and UPIKE came up empty on its last three shots.

The Bears return to action at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday in the Mid-South Conference opener at St. Catharine (Ky.).