Pulaski, TN – UPIKE men's basketball ended their win streakSaturday afternoon in a hard-fought 63-62 loss to UT-Southern. The Bears found themselves in a late game battle that came down to the final minute, and it was a free throw that pushed the Firehawks to victory.

Taevon Horton was a clutch piece for the Bears, as the West Virginia native hit several key shots and finished with 16 points. Horton went 2-5 from the field and hit 3-3 from deep, also totaling eight rebounds. Kenyon Dulling II joined Horton in double-digit scoring, finishing with 10 points off the bench.

The two teams matched in the first period, drawing at 26 after a late push by the Bears. The second half saw UPIKE bust out a 14-8 run spanning the opening five minutes to take the lead and secure momentum. The lead would last into the final 10 minutes as UT-Southern went on a run to tie the game at 46 all with 8:24 to play.

A three from Taevon Horton and a transition bucket from Maurice Dickson put the Bears back on top but the two teams were headed for a gritty final 5:00. The Firehawks took the lead back with 2:53 following a free throw opportunity and the Bears answered with a layup on the other end.

The two teams continued the back and forth into the final two minutes, trading buckets and the lead. Tied at 59 all with 1:44 to go, the next half minute gave both teams the opportunity to call timeouts, making the substitutions needed to finish the intense battle.

UT-Southern took advantage of an and-one with 0:48 left to take a 62-59 lead before calling their final timeout. Horton came through on a big three pointer to tie the game on the next possession.

The last 10 seconds were heated and resulted in a pair of free throws within 0:05 for UT-Southern who connected on one of two to secure the 63-62 win.

The Bears return to action on Wednesday, December 8^th as they take on Kentucky Christian at Appalachian Wireless Arena. Tip-off is set for 6PM.