A trio of High Point players topped the 20-point mark as the Panthers outraced the VMI offensive juggernaut in an impressive 115-104 Big South Conference road win on Wednesday night at Cameron Hall.
HPU (11-5, 2-0 Big South) picked up their first road win this season and also snapped a five-game road skid in league play with the victory. The Panthers also posted a record point total against a Division I opponent with their 115 points and reached the century mark for the first time this season. The loss dropped the Keydets to 6-11, 0-2 in the conference.
"This kind of game is fun for the players and fans," said HPU head coach Bart Lundy. "It is anything but fun for me and the rest of the coaching staff."
Junior Arizona Reid matched a career high with 32 points on 15-of-25 shooting from the floor and also hauled down 13 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the year to pace the efficient HPU offense. Fellow junior Jerald Minnis added a career-best 27 point making 11 of his 13 shot attempts in the game. Minnis also grabbed 10 boards for his second double-double in the last three games. The duo helped lead the Panthers to a season best 63 percent for the game.
Senior Landon Quick finished with a career best 22 points as the Panthers third 20-point scorer. Sophomore Troy Bowen also reached double figures chipping in 11 points.
Reggie Williams, the nation's third-leading scorer, led a quartet of Keydet performers in double digits finishing with 40 points and 15 rebounds. Chavis Holmes added 25 points connecting on four three-pointers in the contest.
High Point got things racing early outscoring VMI 20-8 over the opening four minutes of play. Minnis accounted for eight of the points in the run. HPU extended its lead to 18 points (33-15) with 11:31 to play in the first half before a quick spurt by the Keydets trimmed the deficit to 12 just three minutes later.
The Panthers maintained a double-digit advantage for the rest of the period and closed with a late scoring surge to own a 63-48 lead at the half. HPU committed just five turnovers in the opening 20 minutes of play and scored 48 of their points in the paint.
"I thought we did a good job of taking control of the game by taking care of the ball," added Lundy. "In this style game, players just have to make plays and tonight our guys did just that. I'm proud and pleased to leave here with an important road victory in the conference."
VMI came out the break with a flurry trimming the HPU lead to just eight points, 67-59, after only four minutes of second half action. High Point answered with a 13-3 surge sparked by six points from Reid and five by Bowen.
HPU held as large as a 20-point edge with four minutes remaining but could not relax until the final buzzer as VMI turned a 17-point Panther lead into a seven-point advantage in one 90 second flurry late in the game. Quick drained a pair of free throws to halt the rally and secure the win.
"I'm disappointed in how we finished tonight," added Lundy. "A lesson we need to take from this win is learning how to close out games."
High Point next plays a pair of home Big South contests starting with a Saturday tilt versus in-state rival UNC Asheville at 7 p.m. at the Millis Athletic Center. HPU then hosts Liberty at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17.
