Alexandria, Louisiana – In a heavyweight matchup between two perennial NAIA programs the UPIKE Bears were unable to finalize a comeback against the LSU-Shreveport Pilots.
 
The second-round game of the NAIA men's basketball tournament ended No. 13 UPIKE's season at 20-13. No. 5 LSU-Shreveport will advance to the Sweet 16 in Kansas City, Missouri. 
 
To start the game, it was back and forth for the Bears and Pilots. Leading 5-4 Teddy Parham Jr. found Korbin Spencer for a UPIKE three to put the Bears up by four. The Pilots would counter with a 17-7 run to put the Bears behind by a score of 15-21. Parham would drive and find Mark Vance for a layup to pull UPIKE within four.  Shreveport would close out the half on a 16-10 run to go into halftime up by ten.
Coming out of intermission the Bears would get a three pointer from Devin Collins to pull within seven at 30-37. The next four minutes would be controlled by the Pilots and their ability to attack the basket. During the 13-0 run LSU-Shreveport would make four layups.
 
Following a timeout, the Bears would find Jacob Brown for an old fashioned three-point play. Following a dunk from the Pilots Stacey Thomas, Keian Worrix would find Teddy Parham Jr. for three to pull the Bears within sixteen at 36-52. Following an exchange of baskets Jacob Brown would come up with a steal and go end to end for a thunderous jam to bring the score to 40-54 and force the Pilots to call a timeout.
 
The Bears would come out of the timeout in a 2-3 zone and proceed to mount a 10-2 run culminated by an impressive drive to the rim by Korbin Spencer to close the gap to six at 50-56. Shreveport would then mount another rally to pull ahead of the Bears 58-71 with just three minutes to play.
 
Devin Collins would then hit a jumper for the Bears followed by a pair of free throws to make it 62-71 and give the Bears another chance to complete the comeback. Coming out of a timeout with 1:44 on the clock Collins would find Teddy Parham Jr. on a backdoor cut for a layup to pull the Bears within seven at 64-71.   
 
The Bears and Pilots would trade layups before a pair of LSU-Shreveport free throws would give them a 75-66 lead with forty-seven seconds left in the ball game. Korbin Spence would come off a ball screen and hit a step back three-pointer from the left wing to make it 69-75.
 
Following another pair of free throws for the Pilots, Worrix would find Devin Collins for his fifth three of the game to make it 73-77 with just eleven seconds on the clock. The Pilots would split a pair of free throws and then hang on as time expired to prevail 78-73.
 
The Bears finished 21-of-50 (42 percent) from the field and made 9-of-20 from deep. The Pilots would shoot 31-of-62 (50 percent) from the field and made 3-of-7 three-point attempts.
 
UPIKE would connect on 22-of-29 (75.9 percent) free throws while LSU-Shreveport would hit 13-of-19 (68.4 percent) from the line. The Pilots would out rebound the Bears 41-23 in the contest.
 
Devin Collins led the way with a season high 24 points. He was joined in double figures by Teddy Parham Jr. with 15 points, Jacob Brown with 14 points, and Korbin Spencer with 13 points.
In his final game as a Bear Parham Jr. would record team highs of seven rebounds and five assists. Graduate Student Jacob Brown would lead the Bears with three steals to go with three rebounds of his own in his final outing.
 
Calvin Carpenter led the Pilots with 20 points while Damon Davis and Jalen Brooks both recorded 16 points. Brooks would record a game high 18 rebounds for LSU-Shreveport.
 
The Bears season ends with an overall record of 20-13. This marked the first twenty win season and NAIA National Tournament Appearance under Head Coach Tigh Compton.
 
--UPIKE--