Pikeville, KY – UPIKE women's basketball faced their toughest test yet Thursday evening in a thriller against (2) Campbellsville that came down to the wire. The Tigers edged the Bears in the final three seconds of the contest, connecting on a jumper to secure the 64-62 win.
Mid-South Conference basketball returned to Appalachian Wireless Arena in a big way as the Bears looked to down a top-25 opponent for the first time this season. The game did not disappoint, providing 40 minutes of high-intensity, fast-paced action that tested both teams down the stretch.
Morgan Stamper offered a solid 17-point, 7-rebound performance to lead the Bears on 7-13 shooting from the floor and a perfect 3-3 from the free throw line.
Mary Englert filled the statsheet with 10-points, 16-rebounds, four assists, and a steal. The double-double is the first of Englert's career and her 16 rebounds are a new career high for the senior.
Alexis Reed managed her first double digit scoring effort of the season and finished with 10 points.
The Bears connected on 41.3% of shots from the field while holding the Tigers to just 34.2%. UPIKE also took the edge in the rebounding category 40-34.
UPIKE fired out of the gate to take an early lead, sparking a back and forth in the first quarter led by
Sierra Feltner who connected for five points in the period. A 5-0 run midway through the first saw the Bears take a 9-4 lead, forcing several turnovers from the Tiger offense along the way. UPIKE had managed a six-point lead after Feltner splashed a three just inside the 1:00 mark but were answered by trey from Campbellsville on the next possession, making it a 16-15 UPIKE lead after 10:00.
After a pair of dialed-in attempts, UPIKE built themselves a secure lead in the second quarter and led 25-19 with 5:00 to go until the half. The Tigers answered to within three but the Bears, led by
Alexis Reed and
Bailey Frazier, bounced back and took a 33-27 lead into halftime.
Morgan Stamper took control in the third period, going 4-6 from the floor to put up 10 points. The Bears had a lead as high as nine-points with 3:20 to go in the period as Englert drained a pair of free throw to make it 45-36. The final minutes of the period saw the teams trade buckets but the pairs broke even, carrying another six point lead into the final period.
Campbellsville's trap defense aided their fourth quarter comeback, forcing eight turnovers from the Bears. The offensive action was almost entirely inside as both teams shot 0-3 from deep in the fourth but free throw execution played a big role for the Tigers down the stretch. After a critical jumper by Stamper at the three minute mark, UPIKE was ahead 60-58 and would hold the advantage down to the final minute.
0:39 to go brought a hard-fought layup for Campbellsville to tie the game at 62 all and prompted a timeout by Coach Williams and company. Out of the timeout, the Tigers snatched a turnover and granted themselves a possession with 0:15 seconds to go. Bailey Pedigo made a difficult jumper with 0:03 to play, not giving the Bears enough time to score and securing the 64-62 victory.
UPIKE women's basketball returns to action on Saturday, November 20th for a MSC bout with Georgetown. Tip-off between the Bears and Tigers is slated for 2PM.
