Danny Gathings' off-balance, turn-around three-pointer just before the buzzer sounded in overtime gave High Point a thrilling 81-78 win over Charleston Southern before a record crowd and a regional-television audience in the Millis Center.
The Panthers improve to 14-7, 7-3 in the Big South, while the hard-luck Bucs fall to 3-18 (0-10).
The game featured 20 lead changes and 13 ties, and was played before a crowd of 2,436 (the largest ever to see a basketball game in the Millis Center).
CSU's Kurtis Rice had tied the game at 78-78 on a driving layup with 1.5 seconds remaining before the Panthers called timeout. Zione White then heaved a baseball pass three-quarters of the way down-court. Gathings leaped in the air, caught the pass, turned around and lofted a shot from 22 feet which swished through just before the horn sounded. Jubilant High Point students then stormed the Millis Center court for the first time in recent memory.
Charleston Southern, which trailed 27-23 at the half, erased a nine-point High Point lead shortly after intermission and took a 58-57 advantage with 6:42 to go on an Ed O'Neil free throw. The lead changed hands three more times before O'Neil drained a trey at the 3:28 mark to give the Bucs a 65-63 lead.
But High Point freshman Landon Quick answered at the other end with a three-pointer to help the Panthers re-take the lead, 66-65. Following a Jerry Echenique free throw and a Jorsua Chambers dunk, HPU led 69-65 with 1:30 left.
Trent Drafts drove for a layup and Rice hit a pair of free throws to knot things at 69-69 with 21.0 seconds to go in regulation. HPU brought the ball down and was setting up for the final shot before Rice stripped Gathings of the ball with four seconds left and pushed it downcourt to Thomas Harrison, who had his layup partially-blocked by HPU's Chris Meeks just before the buzzer sounded.
Charleston Southern scored five of the first seven points of the overtime period to build a 74-71 lead, but an Echenique free throw and a jumper by White tied the score at 74-74 with 1:36 to play.
Gathings hit a free throw with 1:02 to go to give HPU a short-lived one-point lead before Nathan Ball banked in a shot to help the Bucs re-take a 76-75 lead with 30.9 seconds left.
Meeks was fouled at the other end and hit both free throws with 20.7 to go for a 77-76 High Point edge. O'Neil missed a layup at the other end, and Echenique made one-of-two foul shots to give HPU a 78-76 cushion before Rice tied things up, leading to the dramatic finish.
Gathings recorded his 10th double-double of the season with a 24-point, 11-rebound performance. White (17 points), Quick (a career-best 13 points) and Echenique (12 points) all scored in double-figures for HPU.
Brent Halsch, who prepped at Greensboro Day School, played in his 100th game in an HPU uniform and tallied five points and three rebounds.
The Buccaneers got 24 points off the bench from Rice. He was joined in double-digits by Greensboro native Ball (a career-high 20 points), Drafts (17 points) and O'Neil (12 points).
Lost in the euphoria of the finish is the fact that High Point pulled into a tie with second-place Liberty for the top seed in the 2004 Big South Tournament. Current League-leader Birmingham-Southern is ineligible to participate in the season-ending event.
The Panthers host Coastal Carolina Monday night in the Millis Center. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm.
