Box Score

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Keala King scored 24 points to help the third-ranked University of Pikeville men's basketball team throttle Cincinnati-Clermont 113-55 on Tuesday at the East Ky. Expo Center. The total points were a season-high for UPIKE.

The Bears, winners of their last five games, also got 13 points from Josh Whitaker, 12 from Trey Rakes, 11 out of Dalton Cornett and 10 points from John Nunnally as the five players to reach double figures. Chris Cantino was just shy of a double-double with nine points and a team-best nine boards.

Willie Slusher with 25 points and 14 rebounds paced the Cougars, while J'Ron Anderson added 10 points in the losing effort.

Stifled by the UPIKE (10-1) defense, UC-Clermont shot just 28.4 percent from the field and connected on five of its 33 3-point attempts. The Bears hit 55.3 percent from the field and 44 percent (11-of-25) from behind the arc while also outrebounding the Cougars 62-39.

None of the UPIKE starters played more than 19 minutes as its bench outscored Clermont's by a dominant 58-4 margin. The Cougars had to be winded as none of their starters played less than 27 minutes.

Slusher scored the first two points of the game, giving UC-Clermont (4-9) its only lead as the Bears struggled to get going, going up just 5-2 on King's three nearly four minutes into the half.

Once King woke it up, UPIKE was unstoppable, going on a 35-2 run to lead by 31 with 6:29 left before halftime. The Cougars scored 14 points over the final six minutes to trail by 36 at the break at 54-18.

Pikeville's starters got to play a little more than three minutes in the second half before handing the game over to their bench. The lineup change didn't slow the Bears down much as the lead reached 50 at 95-45 on Devante McClung's shot in the paint with eight minutes to play.

The Bears outscored the Cougars 18-10 the rest of the way to tally the final 113-55 score. Rakes impressed late, scoring nine straight points during one three-minute span.

UPIKE will take a holiday break before stepping back on the court at 4 p.m. ET on Dec. 31 against Tennessee Temple at the UPIKE Gym.