Box Score BLUEFIELD, Va. – An all-around game from senior guard Teqa McNeal paired with big play for the Lady Rams inside led to the team's first Mid-South Conference win of the 2013-14 season, as Bluefield College claimed the 73-61 victory over visiting University of Pikeville on Thursday evening at the Dome Gymnasium.
 
McNeal led the victors in nearly all facets on the night, including a game high 22 points. The senior also ripped down eight rebounds, dished out six assists and made six steals.
 
Bluefield (6-5, 1-2 MSC) dominated the inside game, outrebounding UPike (6-8, 1-2 MSC) by a 56-32 margin. Asia Wheeler pulled down 11 rebounds to go with her 18 points, while Destiny Tolliver also corralled 10 caroms. Janee Simmons also had nine boards of her own. Wheeler and Tolliver also added four and three blocks, respectively, on the night.
 
The first half featured four ties and eight lead changes, with UPike taking a 39-38 lead into the break.
 
Bluefield raced out to a 13-7 advantage before the Bears tallied six straight to square the game at 13.
 
A 7-0 run from UPike later in the half earned the Bears their largest lead of the first half at 26-20. However, BC rallied back with an 8-0 answer, featuring three-pointers from Jade McDaniel and Tempestt Lewis, as well as a pair of free throws from Wheeler.
 
The teams were knotted again at 35, with Pikeville closing the half with four more points and BC concluded the opening 20 minutes with a trey from McNeal with 10 seconds on the clock.
 
The Bears' largest lead of the night came at the 16:21 mark with a 49-41 advantage. But, Bluefield mounted a charge and reeled off six quick points to pull back within two, 49-47, with 15:08 to play.
 
The Lady Rams forced the game's ninth and final lead change as Whitney Smith hit a layup then knocked down a three-pointer on back-to-back possessions to put BC up 59-57.
 
The run continued to 9-0 as Wheeler and McNeal added layins to make it 63-57 with 8:20 on the clock.
 
UPike came back to within two at 63-61 after back-to-back hoops, but the Bears would not score again over the final six-plus minutes of play. The Lady Rams closed with a 10-0 run for the 73-61 final tally.
 
Callisha Johnson led the Bears, matching McNeal's game high of 22 points. Kandice Porter followed with 14 points and had nine boards to lead the team.
 
The Lady Rams were able to pick up with win despite shooting just 26-of-72 (36.1%) on the night, while the Bears shot at a 41.4% clip (24-of-58). BC hit 7-of-25 (28.0%) from beyond-the-arc, with UPike hitting just 3-of-16—all three being knocked down by Johnson.
 
Bluefield cashed in 22 points off 17 UPike turnovers, with the Bears only converting BC's 17 turnovers into 13 points.
 
The Mid-South slate continues for Bluefield next Thursday evening, as Cumberland University treks to the Dome Gymnasium. Tip is set for 6 p.m.