Campbellsville, KY – UPIKE men's basketball claimed their third straight victory on Thursday evening in a beat down of Campbellsville in which the Bears got off to a 19-point lead in the first eight minutes of play. The Bears kept up the energy down the stretch, securing the 89-72 victory to improve to 9-8 on the season, evening their conference mark to 7-7.

UPIKE shot tremendously well against the Tigers, hitting 57% shots from the field including 15 three pointers to go 48% from deep. The Bears shot just two free throws the entirety of the contest, hitting both. UPIKE outshot the Tigers in all three categories and out-rebounded Campbellsville 35-26.

Darius Love had a top-notch second half and finished with a team-high 15 points on 6-9 from the field. Korbin Spencer was on fire in the first half, helping the Bears spark their unprecedented run to open the contest – he finished with 13. Jamir Simpson came in with some solid minutes in the second half, going 6-9 from the field to tally 13 in the contest. Jacob Brown was busy on both sides of the ball, grabbing eight boards and adding 10 points including a pair of threes.

Brown splashed a deep three to open up the contest for UPIKE, launching a 21-2 run from the Bears that spanned nearly seven minutes. Spencer was on fire from deep, nailing three shots including a pair of threes during the run while both Love and Green added triples of their own. The barrage of three pointers didn't stop for the Bears as Christian Sweazie and Kenyon Stone each got one of their own as UPIKE was in control with a 30-12 lead just inside 10 minutes to go in the half.

Campbellsville picked up their offensive effort in the back-end of the first half but UPIKE kept their foot on the gas, maintaining their momentum and a solid lead over the Tigers. Stone and Brown had the ball in their hands most in the waning minutes of the first half, with Simpson getting some touches as well. It was smooth sailing for the Bears heading into the break with a 50-30 lead.

Love splashed a fast break three less than minute into the second half, keeping the Bears' dynamic offense firing. UPIKE opened the half with an 8-0 run, relentless in the attack that left the Tigers scrambling to answer. Campbellsville got a much-needed boost by way of a three from Brayden Sebastian with 18:05 on the clock, starting an 8-0 run by the Tigers.

UPIKE was cruising with a 22-point lead by the 12:00 mark when Taevon Horton and Christian Sweazie stepped in and drilled back-to-back threes to further push the game out of Campbellsville's reach. The rest of the period was much of the same as the Bears led by at least 20 for almost the entirety of the quarter, thanks in part to some tough baskets from Simpson. In the final minute, Campbellsville managed a free throw and a layup but were buried by the Bears by a final score of 89-72.  

UPIKE looks to carry the momentum and extend their win streak to four as they head to Georgetown for their next contest on Saturday, January 30^th.