PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Colt Chapman scored a career-high 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the second-ranked University of Pikeville men’s basketball team past Ohio-Chillicothe 97-62 in the Danny VanHoose Classic on Friday night in the East Ky. Expo Center.
Macari Brooks matched him with 20 points, while Christian Leach and Trey Rakes added 18 and 12 points off the bench, respectively.
It was that kind of depth that helped the Bears (4-0) avoid a letdown as their bench outscored Chillicothe 48-8.
Before wearing down the Hilltoppers (1-3), UPIKE trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half as Chillicothe knocked down seven threes at a 53.8 percent clip.
The second half belonged to UPIKE though as it turned up the heat defensively, limiting the Hilltoppers to 31.6 percent shooting from the field after hitting at 50 percent in the first 20 minutes.
Late in the first half, Chillicothe held a 28-18 lead, but UPIKE rattled off a 13-3 spurt to tie things up with 4:39 on the clock. Two minutes later, the Bears took the lead for good at 35-33 after a steal by K.K. Simmons that he threw ahead to Chapman for the easy two.
Once it regained the lead, UPIKE outscored the Hilltoppers 9-1 the rest of the way to take a 12-point lead into the break.
It was a rough start, but the Bears’ trouble ended in the second half as their lead stayed in double digits for the duration. It reached its apex at 37 points when Jacob Freeze made a pair of free throws with just over two minutes to play.
Led by Chapman’s 11 boards, the Bears controlled the glass 39-25, including a 12-5 advantage on the offensive glass. Turnovers also became a big issue for Chillicothe in the latter stages of the game, giving up 22 with just six assists. UPIKE, on the other hand, finished with 22 assists and just 11 turnovers.
It’s a busy weekend for the Bears as they jump right back into action at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday against Cincinnati-Clermont at the East Ky. Expo Center.
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