The High Point University men's basketball team battled for 40 minutes but dropped a 94-69 decision against No. 3 North Carolina on an historic night at the Dean Smith Center.

HPU (6-4), playing their fourth game in the last week, kept things close but were outmuscled by a bigger and stronger Tar Heel (7-1) squad over the course of the game. The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Panthers, while the win marked the 500th in the legendary career of UNC head coach Roy Williams.

Junior forward Arizona Reid continued its strong play in big games for High Point finishing with a game-high 26 points. Reid also led the team with eight rebounds. Fellow junior Mike Jefferson added 14 points to go along with seven assists and four steals for the Panthers.

North Carolina, who shot 63.6 percent from the floor for the game, saw five players reached double-digits led by 24 from sophomore Tyler Hansbrough. A preseason Player of the Year candidate, Hansbrough became the first HPU opponent to score more than 20 points in a game.

The Tar Heels powerful inside game proved a real challenge for High Point as UNC earned a 43-25 margin in rebounds led by eight from Reyshawn Terry. North Carolina's bulk also earned them a huge advantage at the free throw line going 20-31 at the charity stripe compared to a 3-6 performance for HPU.

"North Carolina is by far one of the most talented teams in the country," said HPU head coach Bart Lundy. "They are just so big and physical especially in the paint. I thought we did a good job of running our offense and taking care of the basketball. We were able to get some open looks and make some shots. We just were not able to make consistent stops on the defensive end and that was ultimately the difference in the game. I'm not sure there is many teams that can come into this gym and beat this Carolina team."

The two squads played to a 10-10 tie through the first seven minutes of the game as High Point forced several UNC turnovers. The Tar Heels used a 7-0 run to open up a bit of a lead and then built their lead to 16 points with just over three minutes to play. High Point got a basket from Reid and a three-pointer by Tim Burns to trim the deficit to 11, but North Carolina closed the half on a 8-2 surge to earn a 45-28 halftime lead.

High Point played the Tar Heels evenly though the opening five minutes of the second half and made a couple offensive charges midway through the period. However, Carolina seemed to find an offensive response to the HPU challenges eventually opening up 20+ point advantage in the closing minutes of play.

HPU takes a week off from competition as the team members will be taking their fall semester exams. The Panthers return to action next Saturday (Dec. 16) with a home game against Gardner-Webb.