Pulaski, TN – UPIKE women's basketball fell to UT-Southern Saturday afternoon 70-58 in a tough road matchup. The Firehawks used efficient shooting and a hot first quarter to cruise along to the win.

The Bears were led by Morgan Stamper who completed her best MSC showing of the season with an impressive 18-point, 15-rebound double-double. The sophomore was lights out from the field, shooting 64% on 9-14. Stamper filled out the stat sheet, adding a steal and two assists.

In 27 minutes, LeeAnna McNulty continued to showcase her scoring ability with a 14 point effort where she shot 6-9 from the field.

As a team the Bears went 25-59 from the floor for a 42.4% clip but were stifled from deep, hitting 3-11. From the free throw line the Bears went a perfect 5-5 and outrebounded the Firehawks 36 to 27.

After being outscored 20-17 in the first quarter, UPIKE launched a 6-0 run to start the second quarter to take 23-20 lead with 7:30 left in the half. After coming back to tie the game, UT-Southern took a 32-25 lead heading into the final two minutes before
Mary Enlgert and McNulty hit a pair of shots to make it 32-29 at the half.

Georgia Sideri hit a three in the opening minutes of the third to put the Bears ahead 36-34 but the lead was short lived. The Firehawks returned fire and led for the remainder of the period. UT-Southern all but controlled the final period, building as much as a 14-point lead and secured the win.

The Bears return to action on Tuesday, December 7^th for an out of conference bout with WVU-Tech. Tip-off from Appalachian Wireless Arena is slated for 5:30 PM.