PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- For 36 minutes, UPIKE had Thursday's matchup against Life in complete control. However, that final four minutes was almost enough for Life to erase a 21-point deficit; nonetheless, UPIKE buried enough foul shots to finish off the Running Eagles and take the win, 84-79.

In just 3:30, Life went on a 18-2 run, almost exclusively by Mike White, which cut UPIKE's lead to five points. That was UPIKE's smallest lead since 4:09 left in the first half. From there, Jayvian Delacruz hit three of four free throws to keep the lead just large enough to keep the Running Eagles at bay.

Delacruz was back to his volume scoring self on Thursday with a game-high 28 points. He also grabbed six rebounds. Despite that strong showing, it wasn't the most impressive for UPIKE. That title goes to Jovontae Carleton, who earned his first double-double of his UPIKE career with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Those two combined with Xaviar Gaona, who had 15 points, for most of the Bears' scoring on the night.

UPIKE held a consistent lead for most of the first half thanks to Carleton's sharp shooting in the early going. He hit three-pointers in back-to-back possessions to give UPIKE its first sizable lead at 15-8. By the time halftime rolled around, Carleton and Delacruz both had 16 points.

Gaona picked up where Carleton left off as 13 of his 15 total points came after halftime. He scored eight straight points for the Bears at one point, including a four-point play which at the time appeared to be a dagger blow. UPIKE even began to put in the deeper reserves toward the end of the game, but they had to be taken out once Life showed it wasn't dead yet.

After securing the win, UPIKE moved to 14-3, 1-1 in Mid-South play ahead of Saturday's big contest with No. 19 Cumberlands (Ky.). Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the East Kentucky Expo Center.

-UPIKE-