Junior Arizona Reid scored 21 points to lead a balanced High Point attack to their sixth consecutive victory with a 77-71 win over Liberty on Wednesday night at the Millis Athletic Center.
Reid, one of five HPU double-digit scorers on the night, joined the elite 1,000-point club with his layup at the 4:49 mark of the first half. He becomes the 25th player in High Point history to tally over 1,000 career points and is also the 77th Big South performer to reach the milestone.
With the win, High Point (13-5, 4-0 Big South) established a pair of Division I program bests tallying a six-game win streak and opening their Big South slate with four straight wins. The loss marked the 10th in the last 11 games for Liberty who slipped to 7-11 (1-3 Big South).
High Point took the early lead jumping in front 26-9 with 9:05 left to play in the first half. HPU opened the double-digit margin behind the strength of a 14-0 run including six points from Reid. The Panthers held onto their comfortable lead for several minutes, before the Flames closed the opening frame with a 16-3 surge. HPU held a slim 37-34 halftime advantage.
Liberty grabbed their first lead of the game just over a minute into second half action, but High Point answered quickly to regain their edge. HPU maintained a slight lead for the rest of the game as the Flames got as close as a single point several times but couldn't get over the hump.
HPU built a lead as large as nine points (74-65) in the closing minutes and was able to secure the win by making five of eight free throw attempts in the closing stretch.
"I was proud of our effort tonight," said HPU head coach Bart Lundy. "We had things going well but lost our focus late in the first half and allowed them to get back into the game. We still have to learn how to close things out. This was a good win over a very talented squad."
In addition to Reid's performance, High Point also got double-digit outings on Wednesday night Jerald Minnis (13), Mike Jefferson (13), Landon Quick (13) and Eugene Harris (12). Jefferson just missed a double-double handing out nine assists for the Panthers while Reid paced the team on the glass by pulling down seven rebounds.
Larry Blair finished with 24 points to lead the Flames while Alex McLean posted a 15 point/14 rebound double-double in the loss. Anthony Smith also chipped in 12 points for LU.
High Point will now play six of their next seven games away from the friendly confines of the Millis Center. The Panthers begin their road stretch this weekend on the Big South "Beach Trip" with games at Charleston Southern on Saturday night and Coastal Carolina on Monday.
