COLUMBIA, Ky. -- The 12th-ranked University of Pikeville men's basketball team erased a 16-point, second-half deficit at Lindsey Wilson with a 22-6 run on its way to an 80-69 win on Thursday night.
UPIKE (17-3, 3-2 MSC) fell behind by as many as 16 points twice, at 26-10 in the first half and 50-34 in the second, before taking over the game's final 15 minutes.
Michael Lewis ended up with a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Darrion Leslie led all scorers with 19 points and added nine boards himself. Clint Nwosuh chipped in with 13 points with the help of a trio of 3-pointers.
Bryan Wallace tallied 18 points and Allen Costley added 14 to lead the Blue Raiders (13-6, 1-3 MSC) who went from 45.7 percent shooting in the first half to just a 32-percent mark in the second. UPIKE shot a consistent 44 percent for the game and found a way to come back with defense despite making just 25 of 42 free throws.
UPIKE pulled down just three more rebounds at 43-40, but did more with them, tallying a 22-11 lead in second-chance points.
"Hustle plays are what we have to have, it's not so much about us scoring the ball, it's getting stops and rebounding," said UPIKE head coach Kelly Wells. "This certainly builds momentum for us moving forward this weekend, but we have to have a better first 10 minutes."
HOW IT WENT DOWN
After falling behind 14-1 in the first four minutes, UPIKE didn't get its first field goal until the 14:52 mark when Nwosuh's 3-pointer made it 16-6. The Bears trailed by as many as 16 points in the half at 26-10 before eight unanswered points got them within eight.
Nearly two minutes later, Marshall Bennett drilled a long jumper to get UPIKE within seven at 28-21 with six minutes left in the half. A 7-2 Lindsey Wilson run followed to put it back in front by 12 after a D.J. Lambert three at the 3:20 mark.
Michael Lewis ended the frame with a put back before the buzzer to make it a 41-32 Blue Raider lead.
It took less than four minutes for Lindsey Wilson to push back in front by 16 points at 50-34, but starting with two free throws by Rze Culbreath, the Bears went on a 19-4 run to get within one at 54-53 over a seven-minute span.
When Lewis completed a 3-point play to tie the score at 56-56 with 8:14 to play, it was the first tie since 0-0. UPIKE's first lead came a minute later when Leslie pulled down a rebound and went coast-to-coast to make it 62-60. From there, the Bears outscored LWC 13-2 to lead by 11 with 1:40 to play as they held on for the double-digit win.
For Lindsey Wilson, the loss snaps six-game winning streak dating back to Dec. 10.
UP NEXT
UPIKE continues its road swing in Lebanon, Tenn., at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday against Cumberland.
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