Second-half runs lift Georgetown past Bears

FRANKFORT, Ky. Top-seeded Georgetown College used a 14-2 run midway through the second half to break open a tight contest and beat fourth-seeded Pikeville College 77-53 on Saturday in the Mid-South Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinal at the Frankfort Civic Center.

Georgetown (27-3) advances to the MSC Tournament finals on Sunday against the second-seeded University of the Cumberlands. Tip-off is set for 3:30 ET on Sunday. The matchup will mark the third straight season that Georgetown and Cumberlands will play for the championship. Georgetown won both previous meetings.

For the Bears, the season ends for the second straight year with an MSC semifinal loss to Georgetown.

Pikeville (20-12) trailed by as many as 10 points in the opening half but climbed within five at the break and was within three (32-29) following the opening minute of the second half. But the Tigers scored 11 of the game’s next 13 points to take a 43-31 lead with 14:14 remaining in game.

The Bears refused to go away and cut the Tiger lead under double digits (48-39) with just over 11 minutes left. But again, the Tigers responded, this time with the decisive 14-2 run en route to the 24-point win.

Georgetown limited the potent Pikeville perimeter attack who entered the game shooting 38.6 percent from beyond the three-point arc to just 1-for-13 (7.7 percent) from deep. The Tigers also out-rebounded the Bears 47-32.

Georgetown senior Demetrius Guions led the Tigers with 16 points. Freshman Vic Moses added 15.

Pikeville junior Anthony Smith finished with a team-high 14 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Ewan Linton and sophomore Justin Hicks added 12 points each.

PC