Pikeville, KY – The University of Pikeville men's basketball team dropped their home contest against Freed-Hardeman University Monday night in the UPIKE Gym, 85-78. Both teams scored 42 points in the second half, but a seven-point advantage in the first twenty minutes was the difference in the game.

Maurice Dickson continued his great play as of late with a season-high 23 points, including 18 in the first half. This is his fifth straight game in double-figures. Korbin Spencer (14), Taevon Horton (14), and Jordan Perry (10) all joined him with double-digit points on the night. Jacob Brown led the team with nine rebounds while Spencer had a team-high four assists. UPIKE knocked down 10 threes in the game, their most since January 3rd and the fourth time this season they have made double-digit threes.

The Bears fall to 14-7 overall and 7-6 in the Mid-South Conference before returning to action on Thursday at Thomas More.

How It Happened
The Bears got off to a great start in this one, as they scored 11 points within the first five minutes of the game, with all 11 coming from Dickson. He knocked down a trio of threes and made a layup.

Unfortunately for UPIKE, the Lions were just as hot to start the game. They would take a 23-14 lead and put the Bears in an early hole. After the hot start, UPIKE struggled to get anything going, trailing 30-18 with 6:34 remaining in the first half.

They would right the ship down the stretch and use an 18-11 run to cut the lead to just five at 41-36. Spencer had eight points during this stretch before the Lions used a late layup to take a 43-36 lead into the locker room.

Freed-Hardeman would keep a safe distance from UPIKE in the second half, with the Bears cutting it to five on a few occasions early in the half but the Lions would always answer the call. They held a 74-64 lead with 5:48 to play.

UPIKE made one final push, using an 8-2 flurry to cut it to 76-72 with 1:31 remaining. That was as close as they would get however as the Lions knocked down their free throws in the final minutes and came away with the 85-78 victory.

What's Up Next
As mentioned, UPIKE travels to Crestview Hills, KY on Thursday night for an 8:00 p.m. matchup with the No. 7 ranked Thomas More University Saints. They lead the MSC with a 14-1 conference record and beat the Bears earlier this season 80-71 in Pikeville.