Pikeville, Ky. – Bear Nation packed the UPIKE Gym Saturday as the Bears took on (8) Freed-Hardeman.

The Bears struck first with a pair of free throws from Jacob Brown, but wouldn't come by a field goal until the 16:41 mark. Spencer bumped the Bears up to their first lead of the game with a three to make it 9-6 with 14:43 to go.  The next five minutes were dead even between the teams, with the Bears' scoring coming by way of Collins and Spencer.

From 9:38 to 5:17, the Bears outscored the Lions 14-6 and knocked down 6-10 from the floor. Bradley Bunch led the scoring effort with a pair of threes in the span, as the Bears led 28-20. The Lions answered with a pair of buckets but Spencer struck again with 4:00 to go, draining a corner three to keep the Bears ahead. Keian Worrix was the star of the show in the final minutes of the first half, draining a jumper followed by a reverse layup to put a stop to the beginning of a scoring run from the Lions. After a block from Bunch on the final possession of the first half, the Bears took a 38-29 lead into the break.

Scoring was sparse in the first five minutes of the second half, with the Bears hitting a pair of shots by way of Worrix and Parham Jr. With 15:00 to go, Parham Jr. drilled a step-back three with one second on the shot clock which gave the Bears a 10-point, 45-35 lead. The Bears remained in control, hitting five of their next six shots to hold a 51-40 lead at 11:30.

Freed-Hardeman brought the defensive pressure for the second half of the period, forcing the Bears into tough offensive sets deep in the shot clock. The Lions had quickly launched an 8-3 run but were countered by an and-one layup from Bunch and a triple by Worrix on the following possession. After a Parham Jr. layup at 5:40 left to play, the Bears led by nine or more for the remainder of the contest. The second half effort was led by Spencer with 22 points, Parham Jr. and Worrix overhauled the battle in the final six minutes. Spencer finished off the Lions with a pair of made free throws and the Bears took this one 81-71. 

Korbin Spencer had a game-high 27 points and five steals. Keian Worrix was second in scoring with 14 points and led the Bears with five assists. Jacob Brown grabbed nine rebounds and recorded a pair of blocks. As a team, the Bears shot 50% from the field. UPIKE also held FHU to 1-13 from beyond the arc while shooting 43% themselves. 

UPIKE's record climbs to 12-9 (8-7 MSC) following today's upset win over the Lions. Next up for the Bears is a trip to Lebanon, Tenn. for a Mid-South matchup against the Cumberland University (Tenn.) Phoenix. 

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