BLUEFIELD, Va. – A second-half explosion that was keyed by junior guard Kyonte Thomas was the difference on Tuesday night as the University of Pikeville knocked off Bluefield College 78-58.
 
The win was the third straight for the Bears, who are tied for the lead in the AAC standings at 8-2. They stand 9-3 overall on the season.
 
Bluefield fell to 3-8 on the season and 3-5 in the conference.
 
The Rams scored five quick points early in the second half to tie the game. They came on a three-point shot by sophomore Elijah White and a layup by sophomore Donny Alford to knot the score at 38 with 17:01 to play.
 
From there, Pikeville took over. It began with a layup by sophomore Kenyan Cutlip, followed by a layup by senior Issac Stanback to make it 42-38.
 
Junior guard Kyonte Thomas then became a one-man show, beginning with consecutive layups. After White slowed the momentum briefly with another three, Thomas then answered it, scored again on a layup and then a jumper.
 
He'd scored 12 unanswered before Cutlip sank two free throws, and, after a three-pointer by Keian Worrix, scored inside.
 
The Cutlip layin ended a 23-3 run that was the result of 9-of-10 shooting from the floor and took only 4:22 off the clock, giving the Bears a 61-41 lead. The 20-point spread would prove to be the difference in the game.
 
The hot shooting during the stretch would key a second half in which the Bears hit 19-of-31, 61.3 percent from the field. Bluefield, meanwhile hit only 19 field goals in the contest.
 
Thomas led the Bears with 16 points and added seven rebounds. Senior Jeremy Dillon followed with 14 points and nine boards, while Stanback added 12 points and seven rebounds.
 
Thanks to the trio, the Bears enjoyed a 39-27 advantage on the glass.
 
White was the only Ram in double digits in the scoring column, finishing with 26.
 
UPike will wrap up the home portion of the first semester on Saturday when it steps out of league play to host the University of Rio Grande. The game, to be played at Appalachian Wireless Arena, is slated to tip off at 4 p.m.