MARIETTA, Ga. -- Richard Freeman scored 16 points off the bench and Rze Culbreath joined him in double figures with 10, but it wasn't enough to get the 19th-ranked University of Pikeville men's basketball team past Life, falling 70-59 on Thursday.
The Bears (11-3, 1-2 MSC) shot just 38.7 percent from the field and made just 1-of-15 shots from beyond the arc. Life (4-4, 3-0 MSC) made seven threes, shot 43.5 percent, led the game on the glass 42-36 and blocked six shots to preserve the win despite giving up a large early lead.
Dalarian Williams led all scorers with 19 points for the Running Eagles, followed by Chris Rhoney with 14 and Zach Landis with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
HOW IT WENT DOWN
It was a back-and-forth first half, but it took 15 minutes to happen. To explain, Life stormed out to a 16-2 lead over the first eight minutes, then the Bears answered right back with a 16-2 run to tie the game at 18 with 5:10 on the clock. From there, the lead changed hands three times before the Running Eagles went into halftime up 31-27.
The Bears opened the second half with a 9-2 spurt, including a 3-point play and long jumper from Rze Culbreath and dunk by Darrion Leslie, to regain the lead at 36-33, but that's the largest lead they'd enjoy all night. Life went in front for good at 39-38 on a dunk by Dalarian Williams less than a minute later.
UPIKE was only down by six at 55-49 with 5:24 to play, but the Running Eagles broke away with two straight 3-pointers to build a 10-point lead. Life stayed in front by double digits the rest of the way, including a largest lead of 15 points at 70-55 on a Williams layup with a minute left.
BEAR FACTS
- Desmond Medder got close to a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds.
- UPIKE finished with just five assists and 13 turnovers, while Life finished with 14 of each.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
Three-pointers made up the bulk of the difference in this one, with Life scoring 21 points from beyond the arc, compared to just three for UPIKE.
UP NEXT
UPIKE is off until Dec. 16 when it hosts Bob Jones at 7 p.m. ET in the East Ky. Expo Center.
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