PIKEVILLE – Thanks to a massive game from a trio of Bears, UPIKE women’s basketball got its 2018-19 campaign off on the right foot with a 92-69 win against Florida National.
Mary Englert and Kayla Mullins each dropped 18 points in the game, an especially phenomenal feat for Englert who was competing in her first collegiate game. The freshman from Madeira, Ohio was also super-efficient, going 6-8 from the floor and 2-3 from three-point range.
Mullins made her presence felt from the free-throw stripe, going 6-6 from the charity stripe en route to her 18 points. Mia Greatrex arguably had the most complete game of all the Bears, collecting 17 points with five rebounds as she dominated the post all day.
The Bears got off to a fast start out of the gates with an 13-2 run to start the game, but the Conquistadores were able to crawl their way back and make it a five-point game at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was almost a mirror image, where UPIKE got ahead by as much as 14, but an 8-2 run closed the gap to a six-point halftime lead.
Brianna Richardson scored eight of her team-high tying 15 points in that second-quarter comeback bid for the Conquistadores.
However, the third quarter was all UPIKE. The Bears came out in a full-court press that destroyed any momentum for Florida National.
That defense helped lead Pikeville to a 24-4 run to open the second half. UPIKE earned seven steals in less than seven minutes in building its lead up to as much as 26.
The Bears were able to coast to victory there, clearing the benches midway through the fourth quarter, eventually its 23-point victory. The win marks UPIKE’s fifth opening day win in the last six seasons.
(SOURCE: UPIKE Sports Information Office)