ATHENS, Tenn. – The University of Pikeville broke out of a shooting slump early in the third period of play to pull away from Tennessee Wesleyan University 60-45 on Saturday afternoon.
 
The teams combined to miss all 14 three-point shots in the first half, but the Bears nailed three in a row early in the third to pull ahead.
 
The win gave the Bears four straight and improved their record to 6-2 on the season, 4-2 in the AAC. The Bulldogs are now an even 4-4 overall and 2-4 in the league.
 
UPike held a 24-23 lead at the break before the Bulldogs moved ahead on a three-point play by junior guard Jacelyn Stone with 9:10 left in the third.
 
That's when the Bears finally connected from outside, getting a three-pointer from sophomore Allie Stone followed by a pair of triples from senior Julia Parker to move back in front 33-26 with 7:17 to play in the frame.
 
The Bulldogs would get no closer than three points the rest of the way.
 
UPike held a 52-42 lead with 6:31 left before scoring eight of the next nine to put it away. Freshman Rachel Bush had half of those to put the Bears on top 60-43 with less than a minute to play.
 
Stone led the Bears with 21 points. Bush was her only teammate in double figures with 14 as well as 13 rebounds. Her action on the glass, combined with 16 by senior Morgan Stamper, allowed the Bears to win that battle 41-21.
 
Senior Bailey Frazier had nine points, six rebounds, five steals, three assists and a pair of blocked shots.
 
Jacelyn Stone paced the Bulldogs with 17 points and three steals, while junior forward Anna Crowder had 12 and led the team with four rebounds.
 
The Bears held the Bulldogs to 29.8 percent shooting overall and 1-for-13 from the arc.
 
Pikeville will be back in action on Wednesday night, playing host to St. Andrews University at Appalachian Wireless Arena. The game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.