6460 Rise and Shine Sports Report
Appalachian Wireless Night in Pikeville had everything from door-prizes to a major-sweepstakes prize. It also mixed in a little basketball.
The defending national champions of NAIA and recently returned to the Top 25, #23 U Pike Bears made good on their promtional night, beating Mid-South Conference for University of the Cumberlands(KY) at the Expo Center 67-56. The Bears got on top of the Patriots early, jumping out to an early 17-2 lead, and not looking back.
The closest Cumberlands got was within 8 points in the 2nd half, but defensive pressure and efficiency from Pike's starting five, four of which scored in double-figures, was too much for UCum to overcome. Pikeville held Cumberlands to under 40% shooting, and under 30% behind the 3-point line.
Senior Chris McHenry scored 15, and was 3 for 4 from behind the arc. Andrew Young chipped in 13, and led the game with 9 rebounds. Also, senior Cordaro Ellis added 12 on being 100% from the field, going 6 for 6. Total, Pikeville shot 52% as a team from the field.
Cumberlands' Zavion Neely led all scorers with 17, and stuffed the stat sheet with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Teammate Benito Santiago Jr., added 11 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds in the Patriots' losing effort.
A little over 3,000 fans packed the Expo Center for the event. Jason Sword of Virgie, KY won the drawing for the Ford F150 Kelly Wells' edition truck during the half-time drawing. Pikeville will be at home, at the Expo Center, hosting #8 Lyndsey Wilson. That is also the day of the U Pike Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which Boyd County's Frank Conley will be honored as part of the 2012 class.
Northern Kentucky is making the jump from DII to DI next season, but some of their DII foes are not letting them go with nothing to remember them by.
The #9 Norse clashed with in-state foe #7 Kentucky Wesleyan in Highland Heights. The Panthers were without their leading-scorer Cardell McFarland, out with a foot injury, but Anthony Young once again stepped-up against NKU, and made sure his team didn't miss a step.
Young had a 20 point out-put in the 2nd half, totaling 29 for the game, to lead Wesleyan to 74-57 win at the Bank of Kentucky Center.
KWC's back court was phenomenal in this one, too. Krieg Oxley added 15 points and his partner Brandon Johnson added 13 of his own, and found open teammates 8 times to get the assist.
Russell alum Jon Van Hoose had 14 for the Northerner's, but they all came int he 1st half, and to say he went cold in the second half, would be putting it mildly. Van Hoose was 0-6 behind the 3-point line in the 2nd half.
Another 16th Region alum, Elliot's Ethan Faulkner scored 14 for the Norse.
NKU will face #8 Southern Indiana on the road in Evansville, at the PAC Center, as not won in that building since the 1996 Great Lakes Conference finals, and has dropped 12 consecutive regular season games there as well. The loss to Kentucky Wesleyan snapped an NKU 11-0 home win streak on the season.
Tennessee Tech is the subject of Morehead State's 'Black Out' Saturday, but they were in a different part of the Commonwealth on Thursday, and they were rolling.
The Golden Eagles came in to Richmond and behind Kevin Murphy's career high of 34 points, trounced Eastern Kentucky, 82-65, At McBrayer Arena.
Eastern Kentucky did make one run of it though, battling back from 16 down, to cutting it down to just 3 with under 12 minutes to play, behind the sharp-shooting of Joshua Jones and Jeff Johnson. However it would be for not, as Murphy simply got hot and went on a tear.
As a team, Tech shot 56% from the field, and 93% from the foul-line. The Golden Eagles were also 7 for 12 from 3 point land.
Jaron Jones' 23 led the Colonels. EKU drops to 12-10 on the season, 5-4 in OVC play. The loss was also the first at home for EKU this season.
Videos Courtesy of Eastern Kentucky Broadcasting and Northern Kentucky University Athletics
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