PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- Mid-Atlantic Christian didn't know who to focus its defense on as six different University of Pikeville men's basketball players scored in double digits on the way to a 95-60 win on Saturday in the final game of the Appalachian Wireless Classic.
It was a team win for the 14th-ranked Bears which tallied assists on 21 of 38 made baskets. The collective defensive effort was good for a second straight night as they held MACU to 39 percent shooting while making 57 percent of the tries on their end.
A 14-7 edge on the offensive glass helped UPIKE (4-0) post a 19-5 advantage in second-chance points while also outscoring the Mustangs 22-4 on the fast break.
Jordan Perry tied for the game high with 17 points, Jayvian Delacruz added 13 points and six rebounds and Darrion Leslie and Rze Culbreath scored 12 points each. Basil Thompson and Da'Rell Domineck joined that group in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Making his first career start, the redshirt freshman Domineck added five rebounds, two blocks, a steal and an assist to his total, while Thompson tallied UPIKE's first double-double of the season with 10 rebounds.
Grayson Tejeda and Markel Ming had 17 and 10 points for MACU which doubled the Bears in turnovers with 16.
Still, the Mustangs (0-2) kept the game close early and even enjoyed a 13-10 lead on a deep jumper by Tejeda six minutes into the action. An 18-2 run moved the Bears in front by 13 at the 8:29 mark of the half, but MACU fought back with seven straight points to get within six.
The final four minutes of the first half belonged to UPIKE as it pushed its advantage out to 13 points at halftime. That was still the lead with 14:26 to play before a 23-6 run over the next seven minutes broke things open. When Brady Schmidt hit a short, baseline jumper with 17 seconds on the clock, Pikeville had its largest lead of the game at 95-58.
UP NEXT
UPIKE heads to familiar territory in Georgetown where the Tigers will host the MSC/SSAC Challenge on Nov. 9-11. First up for the Bears is a matchup with Brewton-Parker (Ga.) at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday.
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