PIKEVILLE, Ky. – The first game of the Walters Auto Classic for the University of Pikeville women's basketball team was no easy task, hosting 15th-ranked Central Methodist (Mo.), but the Bears shot lights out from the field to top the Eagles 81-72, giving then their second win over a top-15 team of the season.
Kayla Mullins led all scorers with 21 points as she hit all four of her 3-point attempts. Aundrea Matchen added 19 points and Adison Corder scored 14 with the help of three 3s. Emily Baker posted a double-double of 10 points and 11 boards.
Maria Marquez paced Central Methodist with 20 points, but as a team it shot just 38 percent from the field, leading to a loss despite outrebounding the Bears 45-39 and having one less turnover.
Strong 3-point shooting early got the Bears (4-3) out to a 13-2 lead and it continues to stay in front at 28-22 with 4:38 left in the first half. In that span, Mullins connected on two 3s and Corder, Jamie Castle and Matchen dropped in triples as well.
Even with the long-range shots dropping, Central Methodist was getting a lift from Marquez who hit a pair of triples herself and went 2 for 2 from the stripe to keep the Eagles within eight with four minutes left in the half.
Brandi Henton converted a steal and layup to get the Eagles (3-2) as close as six with a minute left, but Elisabeth Latham made two free throws and Mullins drained a 3 just before the buzzer to make it a 38-28 UPIKE lead at the break.
Central Methodist outscored the Bears 16-13 in a closely contested third quarter, grinding the deficit back down to seven points at 51-44, but the start of the final frame changed the momentum in the game.
Mullins and Rachel Lee opened the fourth with back-to-back 3s and Corder added a deep jumper to make it a 9-4 run for UPIKE over the first three minutes. A couple minutes later Mullins added a pair of freebies and the Bears' had their largest lead yet at 65-52 with 5:23 left.
A late 7-0 run by the Eagles got them within six with 45 seconds to go when Marquez's 3 made it 78-72, but the comeback didn't go any further as a layup from Matchen and free throw by Lee provided the cushion to win by nine.
UP NEXT
The Walters Auto Classic continues on Saturday with the Bears taking on West Virginia Tech at 4 p.m. ET.
-UPIKE-
