Bourbonnais, Ill. - The (RV) University of Pikeville Bears tipped off their 2022-23 season on the road against the Olivet Nazarene Tigers and won 94-88.
Graduate senior Mary Englert scored the first points of the season for UPIKE. The first quarter was as back-and-forth as it comes, featuring seven lead changes. The Bears led by as many as seven late in the first, but the Tigers cut the lead to three before the quarter ended. Collectively, UPIKE shot 52.5% from the field in the first quarter.
Just like she did in the first quarter, Mary Englert scored the first UPIKE points in the second quarter by way of a 3-pointer. The Tigers went on a run in the second and took a 35-32 lead. UPIKE responded with a 9-0 run that featured three made 3-pointers by Sierra Feltner, Katie Callopy and Bailey Frazier. Sierra Feltner, UPIKE's eventual scoring leader, got going in the second quarter. Feltner scored nine points in the second and was 1-1 from three. Feltner and the Bears got going in the second quarter and took a 53-45 lead into halftime.
Sierra Feltner drained another three for UPIKE coming out of the half to give UPIKE a 56-47 lead early in the third. The Bears led by as many as ten, but it would not last. After UPIKE took a 60-50 lead, Olivet Nazarene went on a 23-7 run and led as many as six in the third. The third quarter ended with the Tigers leading 73-70. Sierra Feltner added another eight points in the third and was 2-2 from three. The Bears had their lowest shooting percentage of the game in the third quarter, shooting only 35.3% from the field.
Trailing 75-72 early in the fourth, the Bears countered with a 9-0 behind two points from Sierra Feltner and seven points from Mary Englert. Late in the fourth with the score tied at 88, the Bears got two layups from Morgan Stamper and two free throws from Sierra Feltner and won 94-88.
The Bears were led in scoring by Sierra Feltner, who finished with 24 points. Feltner was 9-15 from the field and 4-6 from three-point range. Feltner also scored her 1,000th career point tonight. Mary Englert, also in the 1,000 career point club, was second in scoring with 21 points on 8-17 shooting and grabbed four rebounds. Morgan Stamper grabbed a team-high nine offensive rebounds and had 15 total. Stamper finished the game with twelve points, four of which came in the final 1:07 to ice the game.
As a team, the Bears shot 46% from the field and 42% from three-point range. UPIKE, led by Morgan Stamper and Bailey Frazier, held a 19-12 advantage in offensive rebounds tonight.
The (RV) Bears are 1-0 following tonight's road victory. Up next for UPIKE is a November 2nd exhibition game against the University of Kentucky Wildcats at the Memorial Coliseum in Lexington.
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