Pikeville, KY – UPIKE men's basketball defeated Campbellsville in MSC Tournament Opening Round action on Tuesday evening, defeating the Tigers 84-74 to move on to the quarterfinals in Bowling Green.

The Bears came into Tuesday's opening round seeded seventh, while the Tigers entered the contest seeded 10^th in the tournament. Following UPIKE's victory the Bears await the re-seeding process which will pin them against either (1) Shawnee State, (2) Georgetown, (3) Thomas More, or (4) Cumberlands – depending on which seeds survive once opening round action is complete.

Tuesday's contest featured a quick start from UPIKE, snagging an advantage early that saw them extend their lead to as much 16 points in the first five minutes. The Bears were led offensively by Jacob Brown who dropped a season high 20 points on 5-8 shooting from the field and a 90% clip from the free throw line. Simpson recorded his second double double of the season in a tenacious outing where he scored 15 points and grabbed 13 boards. Right behind Brown on the box score was Spencer
who added 19, thanks in part to five threes.

The Bears shot 41.5% from the field hitting 27 of 65 while draining 23 of 29 attempts from the charity stripe. UPIKE claimed the battle of the boards, pulling in 43 rebounds to Campbellsville's 36.

After the Bears charged off to a big lead in the early-going, the Tigers mounted an unprecedented 24-2 run that lasted the majority of the first half. UPIKE trailed 28-24 with 7:57 left in the period, but would bounce back and tie the game at the 4:17 mark via a Jamir Simpson layup. The teams battled back and forth as the half came to a close and it was UPIKE who would take a 40-38 lead into the break after a tough dribble drive from Green.

The opening minutes of the second half were closely played, with Campbellsville taking a slight advantage before Brown splashed a three that tied the ballgame at 49 with just over 15:00 to play. Christian Sweazie and Darius Love got involved in the scoring effort, holding off the Tigers and maintaining a UPIKE lead as the game approached the final ten minutes.

A 5-2 run from UPIKE stretched the lead to five with 8:44 left to go after a trey from Spencer and a pair of free throws from Brown. Spencer drained three ball with 5:24 to go and again at 4:20 as the momentum was starting to look in hand for the Bears who led by 73-66. The Tigers came to within three with under three minutes to go but it was UPIKE who would execute in the final minutes to seal the 10-point victory.

The Bears will travel to Bowling Green on Sunday, February 28^th for quarterfinal action. MSC brackets will be announced in the days to come.