Wilberforce, Ohio - The Bears hit the road and grinded out an 81-72 victory over the Wilberforce Bulldogs Thursday night.
Wilberforce jumped out to an early 11-3 lead. UPIKE responded by going on a 12-2 run. After taking the 15-13 lead, the Bulldogs went on a 17-4 run and led 30-19. The Bears trailed by as many as 15 in the first half, but cut the lead to nine at halftime. Bradley Bunch was the Bears' leading scorer in the first 20 with 13 points and four rebounds.
Early in the second half, Wilberforce took a 13 point lead. After that point, the Bears began to chip away at the Bulldogs' lead. The Bears tied the game at 52-52 after Teddy Parham Jr. hit a pair of free throws with 12:59 left. Three minutes later, Parham Jr. hit a layup to give the Bears the lead.
Five minutes later, the Bears held a narrow 68-66 lead with 4:54 lead. One possession later, Devin Collins hit a layup then Bradley Bunch stole the momentum right after. With 4:03 left, Bunch made a layup then hit the free throw to cap off the three-point play. The Bears put this one away at the free throw line and won 81-72. After shooting 33% in the first, the Bears shot 58% from the field and scored 50 second-half points.
Teddy Parham Jr. led UPIKE with 24 points and went 12-12 from the free throw line. Bradley Bunch had a career-high 23 points and played a career-high 35 minutes. The Bears struggled from beyond the arc against the Bulldogs but made up for it by going 25-28 from the free throw line.
The Bears will play their final game of the season this Saturday at 3:00 PM against the #16 Thomas More Saints. UPIKE will also be honoring their senior class before the game.
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