MONTREAT, N.C. – Three players scored at least 20 points on Saturday afternoon as the University of Pikeville picked up a 93-79 win over Montreat College in AAC play.
 
UPike won its second game in a row and improved to 8-3 on the season, 7-2 in the conference. Montreat has lost three straight and is now 4-6 overall, 3-5 in the league.
 
The Bears opened the game strong. Sophomore Bradley Bunch nailed a three-point bucket to get the game started and senior Jeremy Dillon scored inside to make it 5-0.
 
After Montreat got a layup from freshman Dyllan Barnwell, senior Issac Stanback scored on a slam followed by another three from Bunch, and when junior Kyonte Thomas nailed two free throws, the Bears were on top 12-2 with 16:19 still left in the first half.
 
Montreat scored seven straight, punctuated by a three-pointer from junior Collin Mills, to pull within three at 14-11. The Bears responded with a 10-2 run that lasted 2:15. The Bears made all four shots in the stretch and Thomas had five, and a layup by sophomore Keian Worrix put the Bears on top 24-14 with 11:02 left.
 
The Bears closed the half with another run, this one 12-3 in the final 2:19. Thomas stayed hot, scoring eight in the stretch, and when Worrix beat the buzzer with a steal and layup, UPike took a 50-34 lead to the break.
 
In the second half the Bears lead reached 20, 88-68, with 2:23 left when Dillon hit a free throw.
 
Thomas and Stanback led the Bears with 25 points each. Stanback had 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season while Thomas, who was 4-of-8 from the arc, had five rebounds and five assists.
 
Bunch hit 6-of-7 from the arc for 20 points, while Dillion finished with 10. Worrix was solid across the board, finishing with five points, six rebounds and six assists.
 
Three Cavaliers reached double digits in the game, with senior Jamiel Wright leading the way with 18. Mills added 16 thanks to making all three three-point shots, while sophomore Gabriel Rivera finished with 15.
 
The Bears will be back in action on Tuesday evening when they travel to Bluefield to play the Rams. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.