WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Cade Looney and LA Walker combined for 50 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists to lead the seventh-seeded University of Pikeville to an 86-84 win over No. 10 University of St. Francis (Ill.) in overtime in the opening round of the NAIA men's basketball tournament.
 
With the win, UPike (25-6) will play No. 2 Grace (Ind.) College in its home gym on Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. for the right to advance to Kansas City to continue in the national tournament.
 
It was the first overtime game of the season for the Bears. The last time they needed extra time to settle a game was the regular-season opener on Nov. 8, 2023. It was the first overtime win for UPike since Nov. 18, 2021, a 92-87 decision over Campbellsville.
 
Looney, a 6-8 graduate student from Grundy, Va., had 26 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season and his second in a row. He had 17 and 10 in the AAC semifinals against Milligan.
 
Looney also had five assists, two steals and two blocks.
 
Walker, a 6-4 junior from Columbus, Ohio, finished with 24 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal.
 
The duo combined to make 22 of 26 from the field and 5 of 7 from the arc.
 
The teams headed to overtime tied at 78. The Bears opened with consecutive buckets by Bradley Bunch and Keynan Cutlip to lead by four with 4:04 left. Senior Rahmel Davis answered with two free throws and a layup to even the count at 82 with 3:01 to play.
 
Walker came through again for the Bears, recording a layup with 2:17 on the clock. Almost a minute later, Bunch scored on a layup to give his team an 86-82 edge.
 
A layup with 12 seconds left by senior Aitor Anabitarte pulled the Fighting Saints within two and set the score at its final, but the game was far from over.
 
After a timeout, an offensive foul gave the Saints the ball with eight seconds remaining. Anabitarte missed a contested jumper, and Looney claimed the rebound to wrap it up as the horn sounded.
 
The duo came out on fire, combining to hit their first 11 shots from the floor. By the half, they had put up 26 points – Walker had 15 and Looney 11 – on 11 of 12 shooting, including 4 for 4 from the arc.
 
They also had seven rebounds and Looney added three assists, two blocks and a steal.
 
St. Francis took a brief 10-7 lead early on before UPike went on a 10-3 run, hitting all four shots it attempted, two of them three-pointers. It began with a three by junior Keynan Cutlip and ended with five straight by Walker, putting the Bears in front 17-13 with 12:34 left in the half.
 
Late in the half, the Bears scored seven of nine to expand their lead. Bradley Bunch opened it with a three. Walker followed with a layup and freshman Jaylan Rigdon closed it with two free throws to give UPike it's biggest lead of the half at 42-33 with 2:28 left.
 
When the first half closed, the Bears were on top 46-40.
 
The second half saw the Saints go on a pair of runs to rally for the lead. The first was 10-0 in 2:26 to put them in front 67-62 with 8:43 left. UPike responded with six straight to regain the lead.
 
The Bears held at 74-71 lead before the Fighting Saints put together another run, scoring seven of nine in a 2:37 stretch, and when senior Don Joachim had a three-point play with 1:11 left, they were in front 78-76.
 
Junior guard Keian Worrix hit a jumper 15 seconds later to tie the score at 78, and although a flurry of activity followed, regulation ended with the teams even and headed to overtime.
 
Looney and Walker were joined in double figures by Bunch, who had 13 points, nine rebounds and three assists, and Worrix, who finished with 11 points and seven assists.
 
St. Francis, 25-6, had five players in double digits, led by sophomore guard Nick Niego, who nailed five three-pointers to finish with 17 points. Davis followed with 16.
 
Anabitarte had 14 points and 12 rebounds.