High Point broke open a tie game by outscoring Savannah State 31-15 over the final 12 minutes of the game en route to a 67-51 victory on Tuesday night at the Millis Athletic Center.

HPU improved to 6-4 with the win and extended their current home win streaks to eight games overall and 17 straight against non-conference foes. Savannah State, playing their sixth consecutive road contest, slipped to 6-9 on the year.

Arizona Reid finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Panthers. It was his fourth consecutive double-double and Big South leading seventh of the year. Mike Jefferson and Tim Burns both chipped in 13 points for HPU. Reid also paced the squad with five assists with Jefferson, the league's assist leader, handing out four helpers.

The Tigers got 10 points each from Joseph Flegler and Chris Linton in the losing cause.

"Our defensive effort was excellent tonight," said HPU head coach Bart Lundy. "We had a really solid stretch during the second half. I thought we handled their press much better as the game went along and were able to execute our half-court offense effectively. This was a good home win for us against a really talented team."

Both teams used strong defensive performances throughout the opening half to keep the game close. High Point shot just 37.5 percent from the field in the first half while SSU connected at a 41.7 percent clip. Despite sluggish offensive play, HPU held a lead for much of the first period but a late 9-2 surge by the Tigers gave them a 24-21 lead with 1:39 left in the half. Reid erased the Panther deficit with a buzzer-beating trey to send the teams into the break tied at 26.

The two squads battled back-and-forth to open the second half and were tied at 36 on a Lazarius Coleman lay-up with 11:56 remaining in the game. High Point scored eight straight points on their way to a 14-3 run giving them a 50-39 lead at the five minute mark. From that point, the Panthers maintained a double-digit lead and made clutch free throws down the stretch to ice the victory.

For the game, High Point forced 19 Savannah State turnovers and held the Tigers to just 39.5 percent shooting. The Panthers out-rebounded SSU 35-24 including a 12-6 edge on the offensive glass and also were able to overcome 18 miscues of their own.

In a schedule quirk, High Point and Savannah State will meet again on Saturday at 2 p.m., when the Panthers visit Tiger Arena in Savannah, Ga. The game marks the final contest on the 2007 calendar for HPU.