(PIKEVILLE, Ky.) – The Thomas More University men's basketball team lost in overtime Saturday afternoon to the University of Pikeville Bears on the road, 84-83. They end the regular season at 21-7 overall and 15-7 in the Mid-South Conference.
- The Saints held a 5-4 lead early in the first half after a Wyatt Vieth (Hebron, Ky./Saint Henry) three-pointer.
- After that three, the Bears held a consistent lead throughout the first half.
- UPIKE led 31-24 with 5:48 remaining in the half.
- The Saints began to storm back, with a barrage of three-pointers leading the way.
- Vieth, Cody Teten (Florence, Ky./St. Henry), Jacob Jones (Jeffersonville, Ind./Jeffersonville/University of Wisconsin Green Bay), and Reid Jolly (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) all knocked down three-pointers to give the Saints a 39-38 lead late in the first half after a 15-7 run.
- Jones made two threes for the Saints during the rally.
- The Bears would knock down a pair of threes over the final minute of play to head into the locker room with a 44-39 lead.
- Thomas More shot 46.9% (15-32) from the field in the first half and 43.8% (7-16) from beyond the arc.
- The Saints came out of the break and immediately went on a 10-5 run less than seven minutes into the half to tie the game at 49-49.
- Vieth and Jolly both had four points during this stretch.
- The Bears would retake a nine-point lead after a 10-1 rally of their own made it 59-50 with just under ten minutes remaining.
- Thomas More kept clawing back, but UPIKE wouldn't budge.
- However, with 2:33 to play, a three from Vieth tied the game at 67-67.
- UPIKE would hold a three-point lead with under a minute left.
- A foul by UPIKE allowed Jolly to knock down two free throws to cut the lead to 72-71.
- After only knocking down one free throw at the line, the Saints gave themselves a chance to tie it.
- Out of a timeout, Jolly took it to the free throw line, where he was being guarded closely, he spun to his right and pulled up and knocked down a jumper to tie the game at 73-73 and send it to overtime.
- Overtime saw the Bears take a quick five-point advantage at 80-75 with 2:38 remaining.
- A Vieth three with under a minute left cut the lead to 80-78.
- The lead would be 83-80 with 22 seconds left.
- Thomas More had two looks from three to tie it late but couldn't convert and UPIKE iced the game from the free throw line in the 84-83 defeat.
- Jacob Jones broke his career high of 24 from a few weeks ago, scoring a game-high 28 on 11-13 shooting and 3-3 from beyond the arc.
- Wyatt Vieth had his second straight game where he made five or more threes, knocking down six against the Bears and scoring 24 points.
- Reid Jolly added 19 points for Thomas More, while also leading the team with nine rebounds, and tying with Jones for the team lead with four assists.
- Jolly also had two blocks and a steal.
- Jones and Vieth both had a team-high two steals.
- The team shot 46.9% (30-64) from the field and knocked down 13 threes, their third game making 10 or more threes this season.
The Saints will return to the floor next week for the start of the MSC Tournament in Bowling Green, Ky. Their opponent, date, and time of the game are all TBA.
