High Point took the lead midway through the second half and then watched The Citadel piece together a 20-5 run that effectively ended things and gave the Bulldogs an 82-67 win Thursday night in Charleston.

Both teams now stand at 2-3 on the season.

Danny Gathings led all scorers with 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting.

HPU actually shot 52 percent from the field and outrebounded the Bulldogs 29-26, but 20 turnovers and a defensive breakdown did the Panthers in.

The Citadel entered the game having earned its lone win of the season over NAIA member Webber International, and was coming off a 68-56 loss at home to Charleston Southern.

The Panthers led early, but watched the Bulldogs put together a 17-5 run to grab a 23-13 advantage. Halsch nailed a pair of quick three-pointers to pull HPU within 23-19.

The Citadel then built its biggest lead of the half at 32-23 on a Michael Joseph layup before HPU scored 10 of the next 13 points, including three baskets by Gathings, to get within four at 35-31 with 1:20 to play. The Bulldogs nailed a pair of buckets to head to the locker room with a 39-31 halftime advantage.

Twice the Panthers pulled within four points, only to see the Bulldogs regroup and push their advantage back to double-digits. High Point came out of halftime on a 15-6 run and took a 46-45 lead on a dunk by Gathings in traffic.

The Bulldogs regained the lead at 51-48 , but four straight points by John Stonehocker gave HPU its final lead at 52-51 with 11:23 to play.

Over the next six minutes, the Panthers committed five turnovers, watched as the Bulldogs found open shooters, shot 73 percent (8-of-11), and ran off the pivotal 20-5 stretch to take control.         

Joe Knight scored nine points and Kashawn Hampton and Dustin Van Weerdhuizen added eight apiece.

Five Bulldogs reached double-figures, including Joseph (17 points) and Dante' Terry (13 points).

The Panthers host Averett Saturday night in the Millis Center (7:00 pm) in their first home contest of the 2002-03 season.