KINGSPORT, Tenn. – The University of Pikeville had three all-conference players this year, and they combined for 67 points to lead the No. 4 Bears to an 89-73 win over No. 5 Montreat (N.C.) College in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament on Thursday morning.
 
The win advanced the Bears to Friday afternoon's 2 p.m. semifinals, where they will play the winner of Thursday morning's game between top-seeded Milligan and No. 8 Columbia.
 
Player of the Year Allie Stone had 26 points to lead the way, with sophomore Rachel Bush tossing in 21 and junior India Blyth 20 in the win.
 
But they also did more than score. Stone, a 5-6 junior guard, had eight rebounds, three steals and three assists. Bush finished with nine rebounds, six assists and six blocked shots, while Blyth nailed six three-pointers and handed out two assists.
 
A basket by sophomore Grace Rinaldo with 3:46 left in the first period put Montreat on top 18-16. But from there, the Bears went on a 16-0 run the remainder of the quarter.
 
UPike (19-8) was 6 of 10 from the field sank 3 of 6 from the arc. Freshman Jaaliyah Warren led five Bears who scored in the stretch with six points, and when sophomore Paige Ayler and Warren hit back to back threes to close the period, the lead was 32-18 after 10 minutes.
 
The second period was a back-and-forth frame that saw neither team score more than four straight, ending with the Bears taking a 52-38 lead to the break.
 
A three pointer by junior India Blyth to open the second half put the Bears on top by 17, but the Cavaliers had a 9-3 run after that to cut back into it. A pair of free throws from senior Virginia Edmondson with 5:07 left in the quarter cut the UPike lead to 58-47.
 
Montreat, whose season ended with a record of 17-12, cut the lead to single digits one time late in the period, but two free throws by Blyth made the score 70-59 at the end of the third.
 
Blyth's free throws were the first of eight straight for her, as she nailed two three-point shots to start the fourth quarter and effectively put the game on ice. The lead had ballooned to 76-59 with 8:14 left.
 
The Bears had 20 assists on 31 made baskets and proved why they led the nation in free throw shooting, sinking 15 of 16 in the game.
 
Edmondson led all scorers with 33 while leading her team with eight rebounds and three steals while handing out four assists. Junior Tresalyn Roberts had 11 points to go with six rebounds, and sophomore Katie Alexander followed with 10 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.