PIKEVILLE, Ky. — The fourth-ranked University of Pikeville men’s basketball team shot a season-high 59.4 percent from the field on its way to a 104-62 win over visiting Truett-McConnell on Thursday at UPIKE Gym.
Truett-McConnell (7-7) led 7-4 after a pair of early free throws and was within five points of UPIKE (12-1) 10 minutes into the first half at 23-18. But the hanging around could only last so long before the Bears went on a 19-4 run over the final five minutes of the half to take control of the game for good.
The 23-point halftime lead grew to 30 in the second half as a three from Macari Brooks made it a 70-40 UPIKE lead. Truett-McConnell trimmed the lead to 28 with seven minutes to play, but UPIKE ended the game of a 13-3 run to win it by 42 points.
Six Bears reached double figures scoring led by Jackson Hussey with 18, followed by Christian Leach with 13 and Kenny Manigault and K.K. Simmons adding 11 points each. Trey Rakes and Brooks joined them with 10 points apiece.
Brooks and Simmons were held out of the starting lineup for the first time this season as they recovered from illness over the semester break. Neither had practiced much leading up to the game, but still were efficient as Brooks hit both of his 3-point tries and Simmons hit 3 of 4 from deep.
Michael Eneh had another strong performance off the bench with six points and a team-best six rebounds and Leach had one of his most complete performances of the season, adding five rebounds, three steals and two assists to his 13 points.
Andretti Loyd paced TMC with 15 points and J’Quayveon Williams added 12, but as a team Truett-McConnell managed just four assist and turned the ball over 28 times to give UPIKE a 33-11 advantage in points off turnovers. TMC also shot just 38.5 percent from the field and hit five threes compared to 11 for the Bears.
UPIKE, which scored at least 100 points for the seventh time this season, hits the road for two games in Florida, opening with Florida College on Jan. 5 in Temple Terrace and wrapping up the trip against Florida National on the sixth in Hialeah.
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