Allen's double-double paces CU women over Pikeville

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – TaCouya Allen posted 19 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season, Jessica Pace finished with 17 points and Casie Cowan added 16 in No. 7 Cumberland’s 72-58 victory over the University of Pikeville here Saturday at the East Kentucky Expo Center.

With the win the Bulldogs (16-1, 7-1 Mid-South) remain atop the conference standings and move to 8-0 on the road this season. Pace scored 11 points in the first half and made 8-of-11 field goals in her return to the court after missing two games because of injury. The senior added six rebounds, two assists and one steal in 29 minutes.

Allen hit five 3-pointers in the contest and had two steals to go along with her game-high 10 boards. Her other double-double of the year came November 20 at the University of the Cumberlands.

Cowan added a pair of trifectas and six total field goals for her second straight double-digit effort off the bench after recording 15 points on Thursday at UVA-Wise.

Cumberland used a 13-1 run early in the second half to pull away from the Bears (5-10, 2-6). Allen scored seven straight points during the spurt and Samantha Harper added a bucket plus the foul, but then CU went nearly five minutes without scoring, allowing Pikeville to keep the game within range.

Christin Haney and Kayla Day combined for 10 points for UPike during the dry spell. Cowan’s 3-pointer from the wing ended the scoreless stretch for the Bulldogs, as she and Pace netted nine consecutive points to push the lead back to 64-47 with 4:02 remaining.

Allen hit a pair of 3-pointers for the Bulldogs in the first six minutes of the game, but the Bears hung close thanks to trifectas by Brogan Conley and Sally Roberts. But UPike went almost six minutes without a field goal, allowing CU to put together a 10-0 run that included a 3-pointer as the shot clock was expiring by Briannica Tye.

Natalie Tunnell’s trifecta ended the drought for Pikeville at the 9:24 mark. Tunnell added another field goal and Whitney Jackson scored a bucket, pulling the Bears within 22-20, but the Bulldogs answered with a 16-7 spurt over the final 5:53 of the period. Pace netted three straight baskets to start the run before another Allen added another 3-pointer.

Cowan scored the final seven points of the half for CU, making a beautiful reverse layup on the fast break, hitting two free throws and then knocking down a trifecta just before the buzzer for a 38-27 advantage for the Bulldogs. Pace posted 11 points and Allen and Cowan each added nine in the period.

Cumberland will continue its four-game road swing with contests at Lindsey Wilson on Thursday and at 10th-ranked Campbellsville on Saturday. The Bulldogs will return home on Jan. 24 to face Pikeville again.

No. 5 Pikeville rolls to win over CU men

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Shorthanded Cumberland lost 105-56 to the University of Pikeville Saturday afternoon at the East Kentucky Exposition Center.

Creshaun Holt led the Bulldogs with 11 points.

Cumberland (6-10, 2-6) began the week’s road trip with only 10 players and went into tonight’s contest against the Bears dressing nine due to an injury suffered by starting point guard Kenneth Stripling Thursday night against Virginia-Wise.

Pikeville (17-1, 7-1), fresh off of a win versus No. 1 University of the Cumberlands Thursday night, led comfortably the entire game.

It took the Bulldogs over four minutes to get on the scoreboard before an Elijah Gillis three-pointer made it 8-3. The Bears quickly raced ahead 16-3, and a Lester Gude jumper lessened the lead to 14.  Cumberland did not score again until 10:42, when a Gillis layup made the score 24-7.

Pikeville continued to seemingly score at will for the remainder of the first period, ending the half leading 51-21. In the first 20 minutes, CU had twice as many turnovers (16) as field goals (8).

The second half was much of the same for CU, as the Bears’ Trevor Setty scored 13 seconds in to put his team up by 32. Creshaun Holt’s jumper moments later put the score at 53-23, but the Bulldogs were unable to further lessen the lead.

The biggest deficit for the Bulldogs came with 2:49 on the clock with Pikeville rolling to a 55-point advantage. Holt and Ryan Slusher contributed some offense in the second half for CU, with Holt scoring nine points and Slusher tallying seven. Moritz Dern also registered his first two buckets of the season in the second stanza.

On the afternoon, Jerret Towns posted eight points along with eight rebounds, and Slusher concluded with nine points.

Cumberland will hit the road again this week for two conference contests, playing at No. 14 Lindsey Wilson College Thursday at 6 p.m. CT and Campbellsville on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT.