Pikeville, KY – Led by 21-point effort by Alexis Reed and a season-high 17 point showing from Bailey Frazier, UPIKE women's basketball won their third straight game against Mount Vernon Nazarene Thursday afternoon. The Bears trumped the 24^th ranked Cougars 80-64, marking their second win over top-25 opponents.

The Bears shot 46.4% as a team, going 32-69 from the field including a 40% clip from beyond the arc. The rebounding battle was owned by UPIKE, outrebounding the Cougars 41 to 21 including 13 offensive boards. Effort on the offensive glass rewarded the Bears with 11 second chance points, besting MVNU who finished with two.

Reed offered a productive 22 minutes of work off the bench, splashing 5-12 from the floor featuring an impressive 4-5 line from deep. The Mason County product also cashed in on seven of eight opportunities from the free throw line.

In her highest scoring performance of the season, Frazier shot a clean 7-12 from the floor including a pair of threes. The junior also recorded three offensive rebounds.

Morgan Stamper continued her run as one of the top all-around players in the conference, recording her seventh straight double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds. Stamper further solidified her status as a prolific offensive rebounder, grabbing seven offensive boards.

The first quarter saw the Bears go on an 11-4 run after trailing once in the opening two minutes, building a seven point lead after five. The Bears held the lead for the entire quarter and led 20-10 after the first 10 minutes. The momentum carried into the next period as the Bears took held a double digit lead from 5:16 on, extending their advantage to 18 points on a Frazier triple with 1:57 to go in the half.

MVNU made a run in the third, biting into the Bears lead to make it a nine point ballgame with 4:14 left in the period but Reed would build the lead back to 13 for UPIKE headed into the final quarter.

The Bears outscored the Cougars 22-19 in the final period behind Reed's 10 point quarter.

UPIKE women's basketball returns to conference play on Monday, January 3^rd for a home matchup against University of the Cumberlands. Tip-off from Appalachian Wireless Arena is slated for 6 PM.