Pikeville, KY – The University of Pikeville men's basketball team improved to 5-0 Saturday afternoon and 2-0 in the Mid-South Conference, taking down Georgetown College, 72-66.

Taevon Horton led the way for the Bears, scoring 23 points, with 18 coming in the second half. Maurice Dickson added 13 while Kenyon Duling had 10. Korbin Spencer and Kevin Bishop II both had six rebounds while Horton dished out three assists.

Both teams struggled from the field in the first half before the offense picked up during the second period. UPIKE led 27-23 at the break and controlled the pace in the second half, never surrendering their lead. The Tigers only led once all game, scoring the first points of the contest.

Slow Start
As mentioned, both teams struggled at the start, with Georgetown picking up the first bucket just over two minutes into the game. The Bears then grabbed the momentum with an 11-2 run to make it 11-4 with 11:19 to play in the first half. Horton had five points during this stretch.

The lead increased to 19-11 before the Tigers tried to crawl back into it. They cut it to two at 24-22 with just over a minute left in the first. However, the Bears used a short 3-1 flurry to head into the break up 27-23.

Steady Lead
UPIKE tied their largest lead of the game in the second half, after a Spencer jumper made it 41-31.  

The Bears would continue to hold a modest lead throughout the half, but the Tigers wouldn't go away. They cut the deficit to just one at 52-51 after a Derrin Boyd three, with 6:29 to play. UPIKE answered though with a 6-2 run to give them some breathing room at 58-53. Dickson had four points during this streak.

That was as close as the Tigers would get, cutting the lead to three on a few occasions down the stretch, but not being able to tie it up or take the lead. The Bears held a 69-59 lead with under a minute to play, and would walk away with a 72-66 victory.

"Our guys showed up and gave a tough, gritty performance tonight" said Bears head coach Tigh Compton. "I'm so proud of them for their effort and focus and for giving us a chance to pull out a win."

"All of us are good, but all of us together can be overwhelming.  That's something that we have talked a lot about as a team this season. Our guys, 1-12, are all committed to finding ways to impact winning on a daily basis."
 
Inside The Box Score
The Bears depth continues to be a problem for opposing teams, as the Bears scored 34 points off the bench in this one. They shot nearly 47% from the field in the second half, and 40% in the game. They also took advantage of their opportunities from the charity stripe, going 18-21.

This is the first time the Bears have bested Georgetown since Jan. 20, 2018.

What's Up Next
After the win, UPIKE will hit the road next week, traveling to Emory, Virginia to take on the Emory & Henry Wasps Tuesday evening at 6:00 p.m. This will be the first meeting between these two schools.