PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- Kelah Eldridge led a balanced University of Pikeville scoring attack with 19 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, to beat visiting Kentucky Christian 87-51 on Tuesday night in the East Ky. Expo Center.

The win outside of Mid-South Conference play pushes UPIKE to 19-1 on the season, while the Knights drop to 11-8.

Five Bears scored in double figures, including Eldridge, Devin Conley with 16, Aundrea Matchen with 13 and Dinyell Calvert and Kandice Porter with 12 and 10 points, respectively. UPIKE outshot KCU 55.7 to 30.5 percent from the field and dominated on the backboards at 48-25.

On a tough night for Kentucky Christian, Alivia Bierley shined with 18 points and five rebounds.

It took four minutes for Kentucky Christian to score its first points as Allie Slone stopped a 14-0 UPIKE run with a basket at the 5:53 mark of the first quarter.

Conley was responsible for half of the Bears' points up to that point as she opened the game with a jumper, laid a shot in on the fast break and nailed a three in the first two minutes. The Knights answered with a quick 6-0 run to get back within single digits, but UPIKE closed the quarter outscoring them 11-5 to lead by 14 at the end of the frame.

UPIKE scored the first six points of the second quarter on its way to leading by as many as 22 points before halftime. Eldridge played a big role with back-to-back 3-pointers early on. Dinyell Calvert helped the Bears close strong, scoring six points to take a 20-point lead into the break.  

The Bears didn't let off the gas in the second half, outscoring KCU 38-22 and leading by as many as 36 points along the way. The Knights simply ran out of gas in the final 20 minutes, shooting just 25 percent and making only one of their five 3-point attempts.

Up Next

UPIKE hosts No. 5 Shawnee State (Ohio) at 6 p.m. ET on Monday, Feb. 1 in the East Ky. Expo Center.

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