Katie O'Dell tossed in 18 points and added eight rebounds to lead High Point's women's basketball team to its fifth-straight win, a 66-55 triumph over Birmingham-Southern Monday night in a Big South Conference battle of Panthers in the Millis Center.

High Point improves to 13-11 and 8-3 in Big South play, and holds a two-game lead over Charleston Southern for second place in the Conference with three games to play.

Birmingham-Southern dips to 9-14 and 4-7 in the Big South.

HPU has won five in a row for the first time since the 2002-03 campaign, and is now 9-1 at home this season.

Candyce Sellars tossed in 14 points and Katie Ralls added 11 points for High Point, while reigning Big South Conference Player of the Week Charlena Martin tallied four points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Crystal Reed and Pam Thornborrow led BSC with 12 points apiece. Martina Knotkova contributed six points and a team-high six rebounds.

High Point outshot BSC, 45 percent to 33 percent, and held a 48-31 edge on the boards.

The purple-clad Panthers never trailed in the game and scored 15 of the first 20 points to open a 15-5 lead following a layup by O'Dell at the 15:13 mark. High Point built a 15-point cushion at 25-10 before BSC held HPU scoreless for more than five minutes to pull within 25-18 following two free throws by Reba Ross at the 3:57 mark.

But High Point closed the stanza on a 10-2 run and got a three-pointer from Erica Brockmyer to take a 37-22 edge to intermission.

Birmingham-Southern whittled the High Point advantage down to seven points on a Reed three-pointer with 9:46 left, pulling the black-and-gold clad Panthers within 47-40. Following an O'Dell jumper on the other end, Reed nailed a pair of charity tosses to bring the deficit back to 49-42 with 8:34 to play.

But HPU scored the next seven points of the game to open a 56-42 lead on a layup by Sarah Haak with 5:47 to go. BSC wouldn't get within eight the rest of the way.

HPU travels to first-place Liberty on Saturday. Tip-off in the Vines Center is set for 2:00 pm EST.

Birmingham-Southern entertains Charleston Southern on Saturday afternoon at Bill Battle Coliseum (2:00pm CST).