PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- It was a happy new year indeed as the 24th-ranked University of Pikeville women's basketball team blitzed visiting Bluefield State (W. Va.) for a 110-44 win on Monday in the team's first game of 2017.

UPIKE (12-4) shot a season-best 54.8 percent from the field and matched a season high with 30 assists as it limited the Blues (0-13) to a 27.6 percent showing from the field and forced 28 turnovers. The giveaways were the most surrendered to the Bears this season.

Devin Conley nearly led UPIKE in scoring for a fourth straight game with 17 points as she connected on five 3-pointers, but Aundrea Matchen came off the bench to pour in a season-high 18 points to go along with four rebounds and three steals. Kelah Eldridge flirted with a non-traditional double-double with 13 points and seven assists.

Tanasia Blake and Lakin Keene paced the Blues with 13 and 10 points, respectively, but the team scored just 17 points in the first half and ended up with just five assists as the Bears broke things open.

Bluefield State did hold the lead once at 2-0, but it took just over three minutes for UPIKE to go up by double digits at 14-2 on a three by Conley. The Bears ended up scoring 19 straight points after the early deficit on their way to a lead as high as 43 points in the first half at 59-16 on a Conley layup.

After going into halftime down 59-18, the Blues never got closer than 40 the rest of the way. The deficit grew to 53 points at the end of the quarter when it was 83-50 and then to a game-high 66 points on the final basket of the game - a fourth 3-pointer by Shelbi Knauer with 30 seconds to play.

BEAR NOTABLES

Devin Conley: 17 pts, 5 reb, 5 3FG

Aundrea Matchen: 18 pts, 4 reb, 3 stl

Kelah Eldridge: 13 pts, 7 ast

Jamie Castle: 6 pts, 6 ast, 4 stl

Krystal Keeton: 11 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk

Shelbi Knauer: 12 pts, 4 3FG

UP NEXT

UPIKE will face its highest ranked opponent of the season so far in No. 6 Campbellsville at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday in the East Ky. Expo Center.

-UPIKE-