CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. -- The monkey is finally of the back for UPIKE men's basketball as they earned their first road win of the season on Thursday at No. 10 Campbellsville, 88-82. As of this writing, it marks just the second time that a road team had won in Mid-South Conference play so far this season.

Neither team really got much headway in the first half as both teams shot lights out in the early going. Campbellsville was more efficient at 50 percent, but UPIKE was able to follow its misses and make just one less shot and go into halftime down four.

UPIKE was able to get the win behind a massive second half effort from the entire team. UPIKE shot 59 percent from the field and 71 percent from beyond-the-arc after halftime. All five starters scored in double-figures, led by Xaviar Gaona's 18 points. Jayvian Delacruz picked up his second double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Luke Layhew, Jovontae Carleton, and Chase Parsley all finished with 14 points.

After halftime, UPIKE came out on its hottest streak of the season on both ends, making seven of its first eight shots, while Campbellsville missed its first nine. That resulted in a 13-0 run that totally flipped the tide of the game in favor of the Bears.
Pikeville would eventually extend the lead out to 16 points with just over six minutes to go before Campbellsville tried to mount a huge comeback. Campbellsville went on a 19-4 run that almost blew the lid off the gym. Three players — Hagen Tyler, Andrew Smith, and Stephaun Adams — did almost all the damage for the Tigers, combining for 61 of the team's 82 points.

Not to be lost in the mix, Da'Rell Domineck also had possibly his best game of the season, guarding the much taller Smith, and still scored eight points.

However, the Bears were not deterred by the long run and kept fighting. Once Campbellsville got the UPIKE lead to one, the game went inside as the two teams traded two sets of layups. Still with a one point lead and just 33 seconds to go, Jovontae Carleton found Chase Parsley in the corner who nailed home a huge three-pointer to make it a two-possession game. After Campbellsville missed a three-pointer on the other end, Parsley hit two free throws to put away the game.

With the win, UPIKE moved to 17-4, 4-2 MSC. The Bears will return home on Saturday to try to make it two upsets in a row against Georgetown on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the East Kentucky Expo Center.