KINGSPORT, Tenn. - UPIKE men's basketball held off a fierce comeback by IU-Kokomo, winning 77-75.
UPIKE jumped out to a big lead in the first half. LA Walker got the scoring started with a three-pointer, then added two more with a pair of made free throws to put the Bears up 5-0 less than two minutes into the game. Later, after the Cougars cut the lead to 14-8, the Bears went on a 14-0 run. Four different Bears scored during that run, lead by Bradley Bunch with three made three-pointers.
UPIKE continued to pour it on IU-Kokomo and lead 50-27 after 20 minutes. Bradley Bunch and Cade Looney led UPIKE in scoring with 13 points each. Bunch also led the team with seven rebounds. As a team, the Bears shot 60.7% from the field, 53.3% from beyond the arc, and were 8-10 from the free-throw line. The Bears' 50-point first-half performance is also the most points they have scored in the first half of any game this season.
IU-Kokomo scored eight of the first ten point in the second half before Keian Worrix sunk a pair of free throws to put the Bears up 54-35. The Cougars then went on a 24-13 run to cut the Bears lead to single digits with ten minutes left. Jaylan Rigdon then knocked down a three, only for IU-Kokomo to counter with a pair of made threes to cut the lead to 70-65.
Coming out of a timeout, the Cougars sunk a three then Bradley Bunch made a layup to put the Bears back up by two possessions. Two full minutes went by before the next score, a free throw by LA Walker to make it 73-30. Shortly after, the Cougars had an and-one opportunity but missed the potential game-tying free throw.
With just over a minute to play, the Bears committed an offensive foul and the Cougars went down and tied the game with a three with 41 seconds remaining. With 12 seconds left, Bradley Bunch put the Bears up after connecting on a layup. The Bears' defense forced a turnover on IU-Kokomo's next possession and won the game 77-75.
Cade Looney led UPIKE with 19 points, followed by Bradley Bunch with 17. Looney also led the team with ten rebounds. Keian Worrix had a team-high three steals and tied David Robinson with three assists each.
Sunday's victory over the Cougars is UPIKE's fourth consecutive victory, making them 10-1 (4-1 AAC) on the year. The Bears will head back to Pikeville for an AAC matchup with the KCU Knights. Tipoff for UPIKE and KCU is set for 7:30 p.m. at the UPIKE Gym.
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