LEXINGTON, Ky. — No. 11/10 Kentucky proved too much to handle for the University of Pikeville women’s basketball team, building a 17-5 lead in the first four minutes and never looking back on its way to a 141-63 win over the Bears on Thursday in an exhibition at Memorial Coliseum.
UPIKE was just a day removed from being within five at Eastern Kentucky down the stretch, but playing Kentucky was a different story with tired legs and the Wildcats’ added size and athleticism. The Cats shot 62.9 percent from the field and hit 11 3-pointers to lead 58-32 at halftime.
Not letting up in the final 20 minutes, Kentucky outscored the Bears 83-29 to get to the large margin. Jennifer O’Neill and Alexis Jennings led the Cats with 20 points each, while Kentucky-native Makayla Epps added 18 points, eight assists and eight rebounds.
Kelah Eldridge and Kayla Day reached double figures for the Bears with 12 and 11 points, respectively, as Eldridge kept up her hot shooting, hitting 3-of-6 shots from behind the arc. Apolonia Thomas led UPIKE on the glass with four boards as the Bears were outrebounded 49-24 overall.
Despite going up against a fast, stingy defense, UPIKE was still able to shoot 40.4 percent from the field, but hit just six of its 20 3-point attempts. Turnovers, while expected facing NCAA top-10 speed, were a struggle for the Bears, giving away 37 compared to 16 for the Cats.
UPIKE stuck around for three minutes, getting a layup from Khalilah Quigley and three from Eldridge to get within two at 7-5. But a 12-0 Kentucky run over the next minute and a half followed and from there the rout was on. Thirteen points was as close as the Bears would get in the half as Kentucky built a lead as large as 80 points in the final minute.
The Bears are back in action at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, hosting Alice Lloyd in a return to regular-season play at the East Ky. Expo Center.
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