PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- Trey Rakes hit four 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 21 points to lead top-ranked University of Pikeville past upset-minded Shawnee State 83-82 in overtime on Monday.
UPIKE shot 50 percent from behind the arc to help slow down an SSU offensive attack that fared better from the field at 51.6 to 48.4 percent. The 9-6 advantage in threes made for Pikeville gave it a big lift as both teams made 12 free throws and Shawnee State made just one more field goal overall.
Near the end of regulation it looked like Pikeville was on its way to a 71-68 win with nine seconds left, but Blake Yates had other plans with a deep, contested triple to tie things up. Christian Leach drew a foul on the other end, but missed the front end of his bonus free throws.
Out of a timeout, Shawnee State attempted a near full-court pass, but it was intercepted by Leach, who's half-courter at the buzzer missed the mark.
After a quiet first half of just four points, UPIKE's K.K. Simmons picked the right time to heat up, opening the overtime with back-to-back threes to put his Bears up by five. But Pikeville missed its next three shots, allowing SSU to outscore it 10-4 over the next three minutes and grab a one-point lead.
With less than 30 seconds on the clock, Leach went to work in the paint and drew a foul. This time around, the senior made both freebies, flipping the one-point lead UPIKE's way at 83-82. Devon Carter's shot in the final seconds missed, but a jump ball was called on the rebound to give SSU another chance.
Nick Tingle got a clear catch near the free-throw line, but his shot was blocked by Macari Brooks as time expired, preserving the win for UPIKE.
Without the play of Rakes and Leach, Pikeville likely isn't in the position to win a game that it led by as many as 14 points in the first half.
Rakes scored 13 of his 21 in the second half, going 2-for-2 from behind the arc. Leach added 18 points, seven assists, six rebounds and six steals, the most swiped by a UPIKE player this season.
Brooks helped Pikeville out to the big lead in the early going with 14 first-half points and finished tying Leach for the team lead on the glass with six boards. UPIKE edged SSU on the glass 36-32 for the game.
Shawnee State got a team-high 22 points from Ethan Moffatt, while Carter added 16 and Tingle chipped in with 14 points and six rebounds.
Up Next
No. 1 UPIKE heads to No. 5 Georgetown at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 4.
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