The High Point men's basketball team suffered a disappointing 96-76 Big South Conference road loss at Radford on Wednesday night in the Dedmon Center.
The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Panthers and dropped them to 10-5 overall and 3-2 in league play. Radford improved to 9-7 and 2-2 following a season best 96-point outing. It marked the second consecutive game that HPU has surrendered 90 points to an opponent.
Akeem Scott led the Panthers with 21 points with Arizona Reid posting his third straight double-double finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Radford's Chris Oliver led all players with 25 points and Dan Ross chipped in 23 including seven treys. Highlander senior guard Whit Holcomb-Faye scored 14 points, 10 below his league leading average.
"I am disappointed in this loss," said HPU head coach Bart Lundy. "We have to go back to playing at a much higher level of intensity and effort especially on the defensive end. Our team has got to learn from this and hopefully make the adjustments and improve."
The Highlanders got things going early taking a 12-6 lead just four minutes into the contest. High Point answered outscoring RU, 14-2, to grab their first lead of the game (20-14). Radford kept things close as Ross drilled back-to-back treys to knot the score at 22 with 7:32 remaining.
The score stayed close over the next few minutes, but High Point struggled offensively over the closing six minutes of the frame scoring just four points. Radford took a 40-31 lead into the break due in part to a 15-4 run. Ross led the first half RU push finishing with 15 points on five three-pointers.
Radford kept things rolling in the second half making its first four shots out of the break, but HPU's Reid tried his best to keep the Panthers close scoring eight of the squads first 11 points in the stanza.
The Panther offensive woes continued going just 4-of-14 from the floor during the first 10 minutes of the second half. Radford capitalized on High Point's misfortune building a near 30-point lead, 78-49, with 7:20 left to play after a 27-7 spurt. Oliver sparked the Highlander surge tallying 20 of his game high 25 in the stretch.
HPU refused to quit and eventually closed the deficit to 13 points, 89-76, with 1:08 left as Scott drained his fourth three-pointer of the period and a pair of free throws. Radford converted on its free throws in the final minute to secure the final margin.
For the game, Radford out-shot High Point 45 to 39 percent from the floor and won the battle on the boards 41-39. HPU committed 17 turnovers to just nine for the Highlanders and made just 18 of 29 shots from the free throw line (62 percent).
High Point next plays a pair of key Big South Conference games at home starting on Saturday with a 7 p.m. tilt against preseason league favorite Winthrop. HPU concludes its brief home stand with a Monday night contest versus Birmingham-Southern at 7 p.m.
