Portsmouth, OH - The University of Pikeville women's basketball team beat Shawnee State on the road Thursday evening, 81-61.

UPIKE was guided by Alexis Reed's 20 points, including six threes from the senior. Mary Englert (12), Morgan Stamper (11), and Bailey Frazier (10) joined her in double-digits. Stamper added 13 rebounds to pick up her eighth double-double of the year, and fifth straight, while Englert had 10 assists to record her third double-double of the season.

The Bears return to action Saturday afternoon in an exhibition contest at Eastern Kentucky University.

The first quarter was back and forth, with Shawnee State leading by as many as four and UPIKE leading by as many as five and holding a 20-17 lead heading into the second. The Bears really began to extend their lead in the second frame, outscoring Shawnee State 18-11 in the quarter and leading by as many as 14 before taking a 38-28 lead into the break.

Shawnee State cut the lead to six in the third quarter, using a 6-2 flurry, but the Bears would begin to expand their lead once again. The third quarter was the three-point show for UPIKE, as they made a three on four of five possessions with three coming from Reed and one from Georgia Sideri. They held a 64-44 advantage heading into the final quarter. Reed scored 11 of her 20 points in the third quarter.

The Bears led by as many as 27 in the final frame, before coming away with a comfortable 81-61 win.

Inside The Box Score
UPIKE shot 52.4% from downtown in this one, their best of the season, and the 11 threes they made is the second most they have knocked down this year. They also shot 47.7% from the field, which is their second-best this season, while both these marks are the best they have shot in a conference game this season.

After struggling against Shawnee State for several years, UPIKE has now won four of their last six matchups against them, with tonight being their largest margin of victory in those four wins.

What's Up Next
As mentioned, the Bears travel to Eastern Kentucky University for an exhibition game on Saturday against the Colonels at 4:30 p.m. Their next official game is on Dec. 21 at No. 18 ranked University of Rio Grande.