PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Junior Jordan Perry and senior Luke Layhew combined for 59 points to lead fifth-ranked University of Pikeville to an 88-81 win over Florida National University Saturday afternoon.
The win got the Bears off to a 2-0 start to wrap up the season-opening UPike Tip-Off Classic.
Perry and Layhew were more than just scorers on Saturday, as they combined for 18 rebounds as well.
It was the tale of two halves, as the Bears dominated the first half to build up to a 16-point lead by halftime and then held off the game Conquistadores down the stretch.
The game was tied four times in the first 3:03 before the Bears took command. A 19-5 stretch that took only 4:25 broke the 8-8 tie. It began with a layup by DeAndre Barton, which began a 10-0 outburst. Perry had seven points in the stretch, and when junior Josh Green followed a three with a layup, the Bears held a comfortable lead of 27-13 with 12:15 left in the half.
The Bears took all the momentum of the game into the half when Perry spun free of a defender and tossed in an off-balance 30-foot jumper at the halftime horn to make the lead 50-34 at the break.
It appeared the Bears would cruise through the second half when Perry scored in the paint with 15:04 left to put his team on top 61-42. But the Conquistadores responded with an 18-1 run to pull within two.
Freshman guard Hirotaka Ohashi got the stretch going with a pair of free throws and a basket. After Jeffrey Hernandez scored, junior Jose Benitez scored seven straight with a three followed by two baskets inside.
Ohashi was at it again late, hitting three free throws, the last two coming with 9:33 left to make the count 62-60.
But the Bears responded with 10 of the next 12 points, getting five from Perry and three from Layhew.
A basket by Ohashi with 3:06 left pulled FNU back to within four (79-75), but the Bears settled down from there and held on for the win.
One key difference in the game came at the free-throw line. After hitting 5-of-7 in the first half, the Bears cooled to 14-of-25 shooting in the second frame while Florida National finished 9-of-11 from the line.
Ohashi led five FNU players in double figures with 20. Hernandez followed with 18. Benitez added 13 while Santos and Thomas Dillon finished with 10 each.
Perry had 30 to pace the Bears, while Layhew tossed in 28 to go with 11 rebounds. Junior Fode Camara, who had seven points, came off the bench for 10 rebounds as the Bears dominated the glass 44-31.
The Bears will be back in action on Wednesday night, playing host to Bluefield College. The game, played at the Appalachian Wireless Arena, is set to tip off at 7 p.m.
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