KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Fourth-seeded Johnson University took a nine-point lead to the half and then shot 70.8 percent in the second half to beat the top-seeded University of Pikeville 78-73 in the semifinals of the AAC men's basketball tournament on Friday night.
 
Johnson will now play in Saturday's championship game with a record of 20-9. UPike, which has already won an automatic bid into the NAIA tournament, is 24-6.
 
The Royals jumped out to an 8-2 lead, getting four from senior guard Isaiah Poore in the early going. The lead grew to 14 (35-21) after Poore scored again with 1:32 left in the half before the Bears scored the last five to cut it to 35-26 at the half.
 
The lead went back to 10 on a Poore bucket with 18:39 left before the Bears turned it around. They scored 13 of the next 15 points, and a perfect three from left of the top by junior guard Keian Worrix put the Bears in front 42-41 with 15:46 left.
 
UPike, however, led only one more time. AAC Player of the Year Bradley Bunch nailed a three with 12:59 left to put the Bears in front 47-46. But 18 seconds later, senior Toris Woods nailed a three of his own, and the Royals never trailed again.
 
Poore scored 29 for the Royals, doing so on 12 of 14 shooting. He got ample help from junior forward Mason Lockhart, who scored 19 and pulled down five rebounds. Woods added 13.
 
Bunch had 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Bears, hitting 4 of 5 from the three-point stripe. He was joined on the double-double list by Cade Looney, who finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Junior guard LA Walker scored 16 and had six rebounds. Worrix finished with seven points and six assists.