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03-22-2014, 07:08 AM
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- When it looked like St. Gregory's (Okla.) might blow the game open with a 10-point lead, the University of Pikeville fought back within three at halftime and took an eight-point lead late in the second half. But ultimately the Cavaliers and their star guard Marty Wilkerson were too much, winning 88-83 in the NAIA second round.
It's not hard to see where the game was won as St. Gregory's blistered the nets, hitting 10 3-pointers while shooting 50 percent from the field. The Bears struggled for most of the game, shooting just 36.8 percent and hitting just five of their 21 3-point shots.
"We didn't have a good rhythm shooting the ball today," said Pikeville head coach Kelly Wells. "We got some good looks, but I could never feel us getting in a groove."
Instead, the Bears had to battle for baskets. Other than some timely threes from Elisha Justice and Josh Whitaker, it was Bruce Reed, Keala King and Kenny Manigault going to work around the rim.
Reed led all scorers with 26, while King added 17 points and 12 rebounds and Manigault had 13 points with 11 coming in the second half.
"We didn't play very confident, I thought we were a little hesitant today," said Wells. "But we can look at ourselves in the mirror and know we gave everything and played really hard. Credit to St. Gregory's, they are one of the teams that came into this tournament very hot."
Wilkerson paced the Cavs with 23 points, including three 3-pointers, while Trey Jones chipped in with 19 and Richard Shields joined them in double figures with 13.
UPIKE did control the glass, outrebounding the Cavs 43-35 and had two less turnovers at 14-12. The Bears also shot great from the stripe at 28-of-35, but the jump shots simply weren't falling and the Cavs, at times, couldn't miss.
Pikeville was searching for its moment to go on one of its trademark runs all game. Finally, at the 12-minute mark of the second half, the moment struck. Trailing by four, Manigault picked up a loose ball and went the distance for a highlight-reel slam that brought UPIKE within a single basket.
After another Cavalier turnover, it was Reed that finished off the run with a three to put the Bears ahead for the first time since leading 12-9 in the first half. The lead swelled to as many as eight points after King hit a free throw to finish off an 8-0 run.
"Our plan was to try and take Pikeville out of its flow," said St. Gregory's head coach John Martin. "We wanted to change their style of play, because when they get in a flow, they are so hard to beat."
The Cavaliers fired right back with a 6-0 run and made it a one-point game at 75-74 with a three from Tilford Thornton in the final four minutes. Manigault hit just one-of-two free throws on the next trip to go back up by two before Wilkerson gave St. Gregory's the lead for good with another three.
Trailing by seven in the final 25 seconds, King hit the Bears' last field goal of the game with a deep two-pointer. St. Gregory's couldn't inbound the ball after the make and gave UPIKE new life. Reed was fouled and hit two free throws, but three points was as close as the Bears would get as Wilkerson made his free throws on the other end to help preserve the win.
Pikeville finishes the season with a 31-3 overall record that includes a 17-1 mark in Mid-South Conference play. Thirty-one wins are a program record and 17 league wins is an MSC record. It was also the first time since 2001 that Pikeville won both the MSC Regular-Season and Tournament Championships.
"It's hard to look at our guys, and especially the seniors, in the eye after all they've given," said Wells. "I tried to reflect to them in the locker room all the things they've accomplished and the legacy they will leave at UPIKE."
UPIKEBEARS.COM
It's not hard to see where the game was won as St. Gregory's blistered the nets, hitting 10 3-pointers while shooting 50 percent from the field. The Bears struggled for most of the game, shooting just 36.8 percent and hitting just five of their 21 3-point shots.
"We didn't have a good rhythm shooting the ball today," said Pikeville head coach Kelly Wells. "We got some good looks, but I could never feel us getting in a groove."
Instead, the Bears had to battle for baskets. Other than some timely threes from Elisha Justice and Josh Whitaker, it was Bruce Reed, Keala King and Kenny Manigault going to work around the rim.
Reed led all scorers with 26, while King added 17 points and 12 rebounds and Manigault had 13 points with 11 coming in the second half.
"We didn't play very confident, I thought we were a little hesitant today," said Wells. "But we can look at ourselves in the mirror and know we gave everything and played really hard. Credit to St. Gregory's, they are one of the teams that came into this tournament very hot."
Wilkerson paced the Cavs with 23 points, including three 3-pointers, while Trey Jones chipped in with 19 and Richard Shields joined them in double figures with 13.
UPIKE did control the glass, outrebounding the Cavs 43-35 and had two less turnovers at 14-12. The Bears also shot great from the stripe at 28-of-35, but the jump shots simply weren't falling and the Cavs, at times, couldn't miss.
Pikeville was searching for its moment to go on one of its trademark runs all game. Finally, at the 12-minute mark of the second half, the moment struck. Trailing by four, Manigault picked up a loose ball and went the distance for a highlight-reel slam that brought UPIKE within a single basket.
After another Cavalier turnover, it was Reed that finished off the run with a three to put the Bears ahead for the first time since leading 12-9 in the first half. The lead swelled to as many as eight points after King hit a free throw to finish off an 8-0 run.
"Our plan was to try and take Pikeville out of its flow," said St. Gregory's head coach John Martin. "We wanted to change their style of play, because when they get in a flow, they are so hard to beat."
The Cavaliers fired right back with a 6-0 run and made it a one-point game at 75-74 with a three from Tilford Thornton in the final four minutes. Manigault hit just one-of-two free throws on the next trip to go back up by two before Wilkerson gave St. Gregory's the lead for good with another three.
Trailing by seven in the final 25 seconds, King hit the Bears' last field goal of the game with a deep two-pointer. St. Gregory's couldn't inbound the ball after the make and gave UPIKE new life. Reed was fouled and hit two free throws, but three points was as close as the Bears would get as Wilkerson made his free throws on the other end to help preserve the win.
Pikeville finishes the season with a 31-3 overall record that includes a 17-1 mark in Mid-South Conference play. Thirty-one wins are a program record and 17 league wins is an MSC record. It was also the first time since 2001 that Pikeville won both the MSC Regular-Season and Tournament Championships.
"It's hard to look at our guys, and especially the seniors, in the eye after all they've given," said Wells. "I tried to reflect to them in the locker room all the things they've accomplished and the legacy they will leave at UPIKE."
UPIKEBEARS.COM
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