PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- Neither team shot over 35 percent from the field, but a stifling defense and controlling the glass helped 14th-ranked University of Pikeville come out on top in a 71-53 win against Central Penn in the season opener on Friday in UPIKE Gym.
The Bears limited Central Penn to 26.9 percent shooting from the field and led the rebounding battle 48-37 to overcome their own struggles. UPIKE shot 35 percent from the field and hit just 3-of-24 3-pointers. It was a 14-4 advantage in second-chance points that made the difference, as well as hitting four extra free throws.
With 53 total fouls called in the game, free throws took center stage. UPIKE hit 26 of 37 with Jayvian Delacruz leading the way at 8 of 10. Central Penn made 22 of 35 and had three players foul out and two more finish with four fouls.
Delacruz impressed in his UPIKE debut, tallying a game-high 21 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists on his way to UPIKE Tip-Off Classic Player of the Game honors. Jordan Perry joined him in double figures with 10 points and Rodney Hawkins added nine.
Da'Rell Domineck led all players with 10 rebounds and Darrion Leslie had a complete performance of seven points, eight rebounds and four assists with just one turnover.
Daylin Davis paced the Knights with 11 points, while Joel Zola and Juwan Gooding added 10 points each off the bench. As a group, the Central Penn reserves outscored UPIKE's 23-18.
It was a sloppy start that saw the Bears trail by as many as five points at 10-5 nearly seven minutes into the action. However, a quick 7-1 run over the next three minutes gave UPIKE the lead for good at 12-11 on a fast-break layup by Delacruz.
An 11-1 spurt in the final stages of the first half finally gave the Bears some breathing room as a 3 by Chase Parsley, one of two in the game, made it a 32-17 lead with 2:09 on the clock. UPIKE took a 34-20 lead into halftime, scoring 13 of the final 17 points in the half.
Midway through the secod half the Knights whittled the deficit down to just nine points with the help of a 12-4, but Delacruz made a runner in the paint on the next trip and the deficit never dipped into single digits again. Instead, UPIKE went on to lead by as many as 18 points as it became a free-throw shooting contest down the stretch.
UPIKE continues play in the Tip-Off Classic at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday against Florida National in UPIKE Gym. Florida National lost to No. 3 William Penn (Iowa) 100-82 in the first game on Friday.
-UPIKE-
