Crestview Hills, KY – Bears basketball traveled to northern Kentucky for a tough battle with the top-ranked Saints of Thomas More on Thursday. Despite a powerful challenge to open the second half from the Bears, the Saints took the 66-52 win.

In the sixth straight game, Teddy Parham Jr. delivered a double-digit outing, finishing with 17 points. Parham Jr. added six rebounds and a pair of assists in the effort. Elijah Herron continued his rise as a key part of the rotation, finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

Devin Collins finished with 11 points, shooting 3-8 from deep and adding a pair of free throws.

The Bears won the rebounding battle 29-27 and managed a 62.5 clip from the charity stripe.

After the Bears opened the game with a three pointer, Thomas More scored six straight before an answer came from UPIKE with a layup from Parham Jr. With 11:13 to go, the Saints had built nine-point lead at 18-9.

UPIKE outscored the Saints in the final nine minutes 7-3 behind buckets from Parham Jr. and Herron and trailed 66-52 at the half.

The Bears surged out of the half, launching a 13-2 run that lasted 4:30 and brought them within one possession. Trailing 49-47, a turnover on the next possession thwarted the Bears chances to take the lead. Thomas More woke up the offense, outscoring the Bears 15-5 the remainder of the contest to take the win.

UPIKE men's basketball is back in the UPIKE Gym on Saturday, December 10^th as they face off with Wilberforce at 3:00 PM.