Pulaski, TN – Despite an impressive balanced scoring effort, UPIKE men's basketball fell on the road to Martin Methodist Thursday evening. The conference match up tested the strengths of both teams, with the RedHawks ultimately prevailing 79-76. The Bears move to 1-1 on the season as they approach a conference-heavy December stretch. 

Offensively, the Bears boasted a sheet featuring five players scoring in double-digits. Jordan Perry's 16-point performance led the charge, going 3-6 from deep adding three rebounds and a pair of assists. Taevon Horton tallied 15 points in his breakout performance, adding six rebounds. 

Both teams were solid from the floor with the Bears shooting 29-61 for 47.5% while the RedHawks went 31-65 for 47.7%. UPIKE took the advantage from deep, connecting on 12 of 29 from beyond the arc for 41%. 

The opening minutes of action included a three pointer for both teams as Perry put the Bears on the board with a deep jumper after just 1:30 played. Jacob Brown tacked on another three on the next possession, giving UPIKE an early two-possesion lead before stepping to the free throw line a minute later to make it 10-5. Martin Methodist answered with a pair of threes to claim the lead on the next two possessions. The deep ball continued to prove successful for UPIKE in the early going as Christian Sweazie splashed back to back jumpers from deep, putting the Bears up 16-11 with 13:43 to go in the half. 

The RedHawks battled back, connecting on two straight shots to take a one-point lead at the 10:07 mark before being stifled by another deep ball from Perry. The next few possessions were neck and neck with both teams battling for leverage – with under 7:00 left in the half, the RedHawks surged, connecting on a pair of three pointer to claim a 30-25 lead. 

Martin Methodist continued applying offensive pressure, stretching their lead to as much as 11 with 4:28 to go in the period. UPIKE responded with a 10-2 run that featured buckets from Jamir Simpson, Jacob Brown, and another three from Perry making it a two-possession ballgame with 2:30 to go. After trailing by six with just a minute left in the half, the Bears came up big in the waning moments as Perry nailed a jumper at the 0:36 mark. On the other end, Perry forced a turnover before ending the period with a dish to Sweazie that resulted in a three with a second left, making it 43-41 heading into the break. 

Taevon Horton opened the second half in dynamic fashion with back-to-back threes, followed by a Malcom Green layup a possession later, giving UPIKE their first lead in 10 minutes of play. The teams exchanged offensive blows back and forth over the next few minutes, with the lead changing three times. Martin Methodist got a trio of free throw opportunities around the 15 minute mark that allowed them to reclaim the lead, making it 60-57. The Bears stayed close as the game winded towards the final 10 minutes, locked in a defensive battle which slowed both teams' scoring efforts.  

UPIKE coach Tigh Compton called a timeout with 8:44 to go, evaluating a situation that saw the Bears trailing 73-64 due in part to an intense defensive effort from the RedHawks. Out of the timeout, UPIKE held Martin Methodist scoreless for the next two minutes, adding a bucket via a Perry put back. The defensive bout continued with slow scoring late in the second half before at the 2:00 mark the Bears connected on a pair of free throws, immediately followed by tough layup by Malcom Green that put the Bears within one headed into the final minute. Martin Methodist would score once more, not allowing the Bears a game tying three in their final possession, going on to secure the 79-76 win.  

UPIKE men's basketball returns to MSC play on Saturday, December 5^th as they take on Cumberland University. Tip-off between the Bears and Phoenix is slated for 1PM from Lebanon, KY.