PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- Aside from some sloppy play in the final three minutes, it was relatively smooth sailing for the 12th-ranked University of Pikeville men's basketball team in a 95-83 win over fifth-ranked Georgetown on Saturday.
That's not to say it wasn't a hard-fought battle, it was just that on this night, UPIKE seemed to have everything go its way.
By controlling the offensive glass 15-10, the Bears finished with an 11-7 edge in second-chance points and their bench was much better as well, outscoring the Tiger reserves 48-27. A spirited defensive effort helped UPIKE as it held Georgetown to 45 percent shooting while making 50 percent itself.
The biggest negative for the Bears, which nearly came back to bite them, was their 17 turnovers that turned into a 27-14 scoring advantage for the Tigers.
Jayvian Delacruz led all scorers with 25 points on four 3s and Rodney Hawkins added a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds. Chase Parsley was a sparkplug from the opening tip, finishing with 15 points and a game-high five assists while also going 4 for 4 from the stripe.
Both team's 3-point shooting and free-throw output were nearly identical, leaving the game to be won with defense and rebounding. For UPIKE to go from a 6-6 tie to leading by as many as 17 points with 1:27 left in the half, it had to limit the Tigers to 41 percent shooting in the first half.
Defensive breakdowns just before halftime allowed the Tigers to trim their deficit to 12 at the break. They hit the first basket of the second half to make it 10, but UPIKE answered with a 7-0 run and ended up leading by 17 or more points from the 15:09 mark of the half down to less than three minutes to go.
After leading by as many as 24 points in the half at 75-51 on a Hawkins put back, the Bears allowed Georgetown to go from 17 down to 11 in just over a minute. But time ran out on the Tigers' rally as UPIKE made 5 of 6 free throws in the final 30 seconds.
Shadell Millinghaus and Troy Steward both finished with 19 points to lead Georgetown as they both hit six free throws and Steward connected on three 3-pointers. Jahyde Gardiner added 15 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort.
UP NEXT
The Bears head to Williamsburg, Ky., at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday to face No. 18 Cumberlands which is coming off a 25-point win against No. 2 and previously unbeaten Lindsey Wilson.
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