Pikeville, Ky. - UPIKE women's basketball announced their official schedule for the 2022-23 season Friday morning. Bears Head Coach Clifton Williams' seventh season at the helm features 30 regular season games, including 22 Mid-South Conference matchups. 

Last Season (2021-22): 

The 2021-22 Bears finished the season with a 19-14 (11-11 MSC) record. Their 3-7 start of the season was marked with several close matchups but the Bears bounced back, winning six of their next eight. Two of those victories were against teams ranked in the top 25. In late January, the Bears knocked off #4 Campbellsville in a 70-69 thriller that sparked a six game win streak. UPIKE won seven of their final nine regular season games and clinched a berth in the 2022 NAIA Tournament. 

In the first round of the NAIA Tournament, the Bears defeated Indiana Tech 51-44 to advance to the second round. UPIKE's 2021-22 season came to an end in the second round, falling 90-86 to Bryan College (Tenn.). The 2021-22 team was Coach Clifton Williams' third team to qualify for the NAIA Tournament.

What Lies Ahead for 2022-23:

Coach Clifton Williams' 2022-23 squad will play 14 games at home, 15 on the road and one game at a neutral site this season. The season tips off in Bourbonnais, Ill. against the Olivet Nazarene Tigers on October 28th. 

Five days after taking on the Tigers, UPIKE will travel to Lexington, Ky. for an exhibition game against the University of Kentucky Wildcats. The game at U.K. will be held at Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday, November 2nd. 

The Bears' home opener is on November 5th against Rio Grande University. Last time these two teams met, the Bears handed the #18 Red Storm their first loss of the season after starting off 15-0. 

UPIKE's first three Mid-South Conference games are on the road, starting with Lindsey Wilson on November 11th, Freed-Hardeman on the 17th, then ending with Bethel University on the 19th. A November 22nd matchup against Shawnee State starts the Bears' first homestand of the season. After Shawnee, Midway University and Cumberlands (Ky.) will come to Pikeville. On December 17th and 18th, the Bears will travel to Lake Wales, Fla. to take on Warner University and Webber International, respectively, in the Warner Classic. 

UPIKE kicks off the New Year with a three-game Mid-South homestand against UT-Southern, Cumberland (Tenn.) and their rivals from up the Mountain Parkway, the Georgetown College Tigers. 

Capping off the Bears home slate on February 18th are the defending National Champions, the Thomas More Saints. Last season's Thomas More at UPIKE game went into overtime, with the #3 Saints winning 76-72. 

The Bears schedule features ten opponents who qualified for the 2022 NAIA Tournament. Seven of those ten teams are in the Mid-South Conference, including the defending National Champion Thomas More Saints. 

#BearNation