Pikeville, KY – Saturday afternoon marked the first competition of 2021 for UPIKE men's basketball who were tasked with a long and athletic Shawnee State team. SSU's size advantage held down the interior and the Bears couldn't heat up from three, resulting in a 91-79 loss at home.

The defeat drops the Bears to 4-5 on the season and 2-4 in the Mid-South while Shawnee State improves to 9-2 (5-1 MSC).

Shawnee State stuck to a game plan that was heavily reliant on the interior, forcing the Bears to defend despite a notable size advantage. SSU took the advantage in points in the paint, contributing to their success. UPIKE fired often from three but went cold and connected on just 5-20 from deep. Tigh Compton's squad managed a considerable improvement in the second half from the floor, going 17-39 for 41.1% after a first half where the team shot 13-34. UPIKE's defense did however force 17 turnovers and capitalize with 14 points off turnovers in the contest.

Malcolm Green put the legs behind the UPIKE offense, leading the team with 19 points on 7-12 shooting from the field and totaled 6 rebounds. The senior scored eight points in a second half run that almost brought a comeback to the Bears as they came within four points with just 3:33 remaining. Jordan Perry knocked down six shots from the field adding 13 points to the total while Jacob Brown contributed 11.

UPIKE fell behind early in the first half as SSU grabbed a quick lead they would hold for the entire half despite UPIKE coming within three on five different occasions. With 10:00 to go, Green scored on back-to-back UPIKE possession which made it 22-19. UPIKE battled on the following possesions, playing the Bears within six points for the remainder of the period. Green capped off the first half by converting on an and-one as UPIKE headed into the locker room trailing 38-35.

Former MSC Defensive Player of the Year EJ Onu blocked a shot and splashed a three on the other end for Shawnee at the 18:51 mark and it looked as if the momentum belonged to SSU. They would go up by as much as 18 points leading 62-44 with 12:27 to go. UPIKE mounted a 12-4 run lasting three minutes to bring the SSU lead down to just 11 with eight minutes left but Shawnee persisted and held onto a double-digit lead until under five minutes to play.

UPIKE's offense needed production badly, trailing by 10 with 4:48 to go and they got just that as Jamir Simpson converted on a layup which was followed by a stop and a Jacob Brown three pointer on the next possession. UPIKE managed to bring the game within four points with 3:41 to play after a steal by Korbin Spencer turned into two points from Green on the other end. SSU picked back up though, mounting a 10-0 run that all but sealed the victory headed into the final minutes. Despite a pair of contested three pointers falling for Christian Sweazie in the final stretch, Shawnee State walked away with the 90-79 win.

UPIKE men's basketball will take on (11) University of the Cumberlands for their next matchup as they travel to Williamsburg. Tip-off between the Bears and Patriots is slated for 8PM.