PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Life University (7-11, 0-6 MSC) fell 86-77 to Pikeville (11-11, 3-4 MSC) on Saturday.
"This was a tough loss today," Head Coach
Anthony Maxwell said. "We really missed an opportunity to get our first conference win and first win in 2018. I'm proud of them for the effort they made in the fourth quarter to bring the game back to three points. There were a lot of positives to build on. Pikeville really shot the ball well, and the free-throw differential was really tough to overcome. We were awarded 12 free throws to their 37. That's huge in a nine point loss."
Four Running Eagles finished in double digits on the day. Senior
Kennesha Nichols paced the squad with a career-high 25 points as well as five rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. Sophomore
Tierra Lindsey put up 16 points with five rebounds and three steals. Junior
Sydney Garnigan posted 14 points in addition to two rebounds and an assist. Sophomore
Shikiya Brown contributed 11 points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist.
The Running Eagles came out the gate hot, as they opened on a 6-1 run. They managed to hold the Bears at bay for most of the quarter and took a 18-16 lead into the final 10 minutes of the half. The early portion of the second quarter was very contentious with seven lead changes and two ties. UPike came out on top and took the lead to stay at 29-27. They closed out the half with a 42-33 lead.
Pikeville used the momentum they gained at the end of the first half to continue to roll in the second half. They went out to their largest lead of the game at 61-46 with just over two minutes left in the third quarter. The Bears took a 63-55 lead into the fourth quarter.
In the final quarter, the Running Eagles refused to go quietly and slowly began to chip away at the lead. They managed to cut the lead to three at 75-72 with a minute and a half left in the game. Unfortunately, Life U could not convert as UPike rebounded an took a 86=77 victory.
The Running Eagles will return home for a three-game homestand on Tuesday, Jan. 30 as they face off against Selma University.