PIKEVILLE, Ky. — After trailing by as many as 19 points in the second half, the fourth-ranked University of Pikeville men’s basketball team never stopped chopping away at the deficit until ultimately finding itself with an incredible 90-86 win over No. 6 Campbellsville on Thursday in the East Ky. Expo Center.
Down 71-54 with 10:56 to play, the Bears outscored the Tigers 22-5 to tie the game in just under a five-minute span. After going up by six at 85-79 on a layup by Macari Brooks, UPIKE saw the Tigers score seven unanswered points to go back up by one with just under a minute left.
The Bears (23-2, 10-2 MSC) struggled to get a shot off on their next possession, forcing Kenny Manigault to fire up a contested corner three that he buried to give UPIKE an 88-86 lead. Campbellsville missed two shots on the other end before Jackson Hussey came up with a steal and layup in the final seconds to put the game away.
Manigault went a perfect 5 for 5 from behind the arc to finish with 33 points, eight rebounds, six assists and six steals. Brooks chipped in with 18 points and K.K. Simmons tallied double figures with 13. Colt Chapmen came down with six rebounds, including five on the offensive glass and Christian Leach finished with nine points, three rebounds and three steals.
Campbellsville’s D’Von Campbell had 33 points as well, along with 10 rebounds and four 3-pointers, while Eric Gaines had 15 points and nine boards.
The Tigers (22-4, 9-3 MSC) outshot UPIKE 50.9 to 42.5 percent from the field, outrebounded it 40-39 and hit 11 three to the Bears’ nine. Both teams hit 19 free throws, but somehow UPIKE found a way to win with the odds stacked against it.
Taking care of the basketball was the Bears’ greatest strength, giving up just nine turnovers compared to 21 for Campbellsville. That led to a 25-8 advantage in points off giveaways for the Bears.
UPIKE was up 15-8 four minutes after tip off, but Campbellsville went on a 16-6 run to take a 24-21 lead with 10:04 on the clock and never trailed again in the first half.
It was 50-34 at halftime and the Tigers reached their largest lead at 57-38 with 17 minutes to play. UPIKE outscored them 52-29 after that to finish off the comeback.
The Bears play their home finale at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, hosting St. Catharine in the East Ky. Expo Center.
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