RIO GRANDE, Ohio. -- It was a two-woman battle throughout Tuesday's contest between UPIKE and Division II No. 24 Rio Grande, but the Red Storm got the best of the Bears, 73-64.

UPIKE freshman Mary Englert and Rio junior Sydney Holden both put on a show scoring left and right for their respective teams. Englert had a team high 23 points on 9-19 shooting, while Holden had a game-high 25 points on 9-15 shooting.

Englert needed little time to get settled into her first career start, scoring eight straight points for the Bears to help launch out to a 12-2 lead. UPIKE then went on a 0-8 shooting slump coupled with five turnovers to allow Rio to come back and tie the game at 13 at the end of the first quarter.

It was then Holden's turn to shine as she scored 13 points herself in the second quarter. However, the Bears were able to hang around by continually getting in the paint and going to the free throw line and only trailed by three going into halftime at 31-28.

The pendulum swung back in Englert's favor in the third, who scored 11 in the quarter. Outside of a bucket by Emily Baker, Englert provided all the scoring for UPIKE in the third. The team as a whole struggled to get the ball in the basket all night, as it shot 37.1 percent overall on the night.

After a slight lull from Pikeville to start the period, both teams' offense came alive in the fourth quarter. However, that lull along with a run to end the third allowed the Red Storm to build up a 16-point lead with five minutes to go.

The Bears would try to scramble back, but the deficit was too large to overcome.

UP NEXT

UPIKE will have a competition-free weekend before another Tuesday road trip on the 20th at Asbury in Wilmore, Ky. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.

-UPIKE-