WICHITA, Kan. -- The seventh-seeded University of Pikeville women's bowling team played well on Friday morning, but it ran up against a Notre Dame (Ohio) team that was a little bit better, falling 4-1 in an elimination match at the Intercollegiate Team Championship (ITC) at Northrock Lanes.

It's the earlier exit from the ITC for Pikeville since at least the 2005 season as it lost to No. 10-seed North Carolina A&T 4-1 as well in Thursday's first round to be sent down to the contender's bracket.

The Falcons won on Friday by game scores of 229-172, 244-191, 203-213, 237-216 and 236-222, tallying at least 200 pins in all five games. UPIKE had a chance to steal a win in the fifth game, but it needed three strikes in the 10th from the anchor spot, a tough get at any level, and only got one.

The loss also brought an end to the careers of three seniors participating in the ITC, including KT Simpson, Shelby Fromm and Fallon Tallman. The trio made it to nationals in each of their seasons with the Bears, including an NAIA National Championship in 2015. Simpson and Tallman finished as the runner-up at the ITC twice as well.

UPIKE won six tournament titles during the 2015-16 season, including its second straight Mid-South Conference Tournament championship.

-UPIKE-