Pikeville, Ky. – Despite leading with 3:59 to go in the second half, UPIKE men's basketball dropped a tough conference matchup 67-63 to UT-Southern Thursday afternoon. The Bears held the lead at halftime, but fell victim to a 15-7 run by the Firehawks late in the contest.

Teddy Parham Jr. recorded his eighth straight game with 20 or more points, leading all scorers with 27. The senior hit 52 percent from the floor and shot 4-9 from deep. Parham Jr. also finished a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. Devin Collins managed 12 points, hitting four from deep while Korbin Spencer added 10.

The Bears fired out to a 14-3 lead to open the contest, scoring 14 unanswered in a six-minute span of the first. UT-Southern replied with a run of their own to take a two-point lead with 9:05 to go. UPIKE would not lead again until the 4:00 mark when a free throw from Parham made it 22-21. Parham Jr. Spencer, and Collins all splashed threes in the final minutes of the first, giving the Bears momentum and a 33-28 lead headed into the break.

UPIKE led in all categories after the first half, shooting 48 percent and grabbing 17 boards to trump the Firehawks' 17. The Bears recorded five second-chance points, thanks to offensive rebounds from Teddy Parham Jr. and Bradley Bunch.

The teams matched at seven points each over the first seven minutes of the second, the Bears' scoring coming from Parham Jr. and Collins. The Bears held the lead up until the 3:59 mark when a layup put UT-Southern ahead 57-56. Throughout the final five minutes, the Bears struggled on both sides, hitting just one of six shots, allowing a 10-2 run from the Firehawks.

Both teams were strapped in for a battle in the final minute, and the Bears came out of a timeout with a Parham Jr. layup that brought them within four. After a pair of fouls which sent UT-Southern to the line, Spencer nailed a jumper with 0:14 to make it 63-60, prompting a swift timeout from Coach Compton and company. The Firehawks deflated some of the energy on the ensuing free throws as they drained both, but Collins answered with a Keian Worrix assisted three pointers on the other end with 0:06 to go which made it 65-63. UT-Southern once again hit both free throws, sealing the win.

The loss drops the Bears to 9-7 on the season, with a 5-5 mark in the Mid-South. The MSC picture has the Bears in seventh, behind a 5-4 Cumberlands. Freed-Hardeman leads the conference with a 9-0 mark in conference play, followed by Georgetown and Thomas More locked at 8-2.

UPIKE men's basketball returns to Appalachian Wireless Arena on Saturday, January 7^th for an afternoon matchup with Cumberland University.