WALESKA, Ga. – Sophomore guard Keian Worrix scored a career-high 24 points to lead the University of Pikeville past Reinhardt University 96-82 on Saturday afternoon.
 
A product of Pikeville High School, Worrix did so with only eight field goal attempts and also paced the Bears with seven assists in the win.
 
He led five Bears in double figures as they blistered the nets with 61.1 percent shooting from the floor and 55.6 percent from the arc.
 
UPike (4-1 on the season, 4-1 in the Appalachian Athletics Conference) built a 54-39 lead in the first half by hitting a remarkable 71.4 percent from the floor. It also nailed 8-of-12 (66.7 percent) from the arc.
 
All four Bears wins have come in the last eight days.
 
Reinhardt (1-4, 1-3), meanwhile, struggled shooting the ball. It made only 43.9 percent of its shots overall, although it made 11-of-29 (37.9 percent) from the arc.
 
The Bears jumped out on top by scoring the first six points of the game. Consecutive layups by senior Issac Stanback got it started, and when Worrix scored with 18:13 to play, the Bears had a lead it would never lose.
 
The Eagles got a three-point play from senior forward Tyler Smith with 11:20 left in the half to make the score 23-22, but never got that close again.
 
The Bears scored the next nine markers of the game as four different players accounted for points and led 32-22 with 9:09 left.
 
Reinhardt got no closer than seven the rest of the half and led 54-39 at the break.
 
Grad student Korbin Spencer scored 20 points on 7-of-7 shooting, with four of them being triples, and didn't play in the second half. Junior guard Kyonte Thomas followed with 19.
 
Senior Jeremy Dillon came off the bench for 14 points and five rebounds, while Stanback turned in 10 points and nine rebounds.
 
Smith paced all scorers with 27 for the Eagles, hitting 10-of-16 from the field and all five tries from the line.  He was followed by senior Nate Lewis, who had 18 and led the efforts on the glass with seven.
 
Freshmen Nekhi Fisher and Brasen James came off the bench with 12 points apiece.
 
UPike will be back in action on Tuesday, playing host to Truett McConnell (Ga.) at the Appalachian Wireless Arena. The game is the second of a doubleheader and is scheduled for a 7:30 jump.