WINONA LAKE, Ind. -- After trailing at the half for the first time since last season's NAIA national semifinal, the 17th-ranked University of Pikeville women's basketball team went to work behind the scoring of Kelah Eldridge and complete performance of Aundrea Matchen to beat Spring Arbor (Mich.) 74-67 on Friday afternoon.

After shooting just 31 percent from the field in the opening half, the Bears caught fire in the second at 52.9 percent while holding Spring Arbor to 30. It had been the total opposite over the first 20 minutes as it was the Cougars doing the 50-percent shooting.

Eldridge was the catalyst for UPIKE (6-1) on offense, tallying a game-high 18 points, including a pair of threes and 4-for-4 showing from the free-throw line. Matchen added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Elisabeth Latham joined them in double figures off the bench with 10 points.

Aimee Konkel paced the Cougars (4-2) with 17 points off the bench, followed by 14 from Kylie Townsley.

The hustle stats mattered in this one for the Bears to come back from behind as they outrebounded Spring Arbor 45-32 and posted a 21-7 lead in points off turnovers.

UPIKE scored the first two points of the game, but wouldn't lead again until the 1:46 mark of the third quarter on a jumper in the paint by Kandice Porter to make it 50-49. This time around it was the Bears who wouldn't give up the lead, pushing ahead by six late in the fourth quarter before a 5-0 Cougar run made it a one-point game with 1:43 to play.

From there, Spring Arbor went 0-for-2 from the field with a turnover over the next minute while sending UPIKE to the line. The Bears made 5 out of 8 freebies down the stretch to lead by as many as eight points in the final 30 seconds.

A 3-pointer from Konkel with 15 seconds to play gave the Cougars hope, but Eldridge sealed the deal with free throws on the other end.

Between UPIKE's early 2-0 lead and comeback in the third quarter, Spring Arbor had led by 14 points late in the second and took a 43-30 lead into halftime. It was still a double-digit game with seven minutes left in the third when the Bears went on a 12-2 run over the next three minutes to cut it to one. With UPIKE scoring the final 11 points of the third quarter, it led 55-49 going into the fourth.  

BEAR FACTS

• With a 3-pointer late in the second quarter, Eldridge eclipsed the 1,000-point mark, becoming the 22nd player in program history to do so.
• The Somerset connection shined at the end of the third quarter when Adison Corder found Latham cutting to the basket for an easy two, then hit a three on the other end to extend the Bears' lead to six heading to the fourth.
• UPIKE outscored Spring Arbor 46-32 in the paint.
• Eldridge not only led the Bears in scoring with 18 points, but she also had the most assists with three.
• Porter's numbers may not be gaudy, but they are complete, finishing with six points, five rebounds, four steals, three blocks and an assist.

UP NEXT

UPIKE continues play in the Hoops for Hope event at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday against host Grace (Ind.). 

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