BOX SCORE
High Point University got 12 points and 13 rebounds from senior
Cruz Daniels and 14 points from senior
Eugene Harris to beat North Carolina Central, 70-58, on Tuesday night at the Millis Center. HPU held the Eagles to 28.1 percent field goal shooting while playing at the Millis Center for the first time in nearly a month.
"Our guys really did what we preached in practice all week, they guarded the ball, stayed focused and really concentrated on the defensive end," said High Point head coach
Scott Cherry. "They did a good job guarding C.J. Wilkerson – he got 16 points but it was a hard 16 points – and held NC Central to 28 percent shooting. The guys stayed locked in for the most part for the whole game. It was a tremendous team effort."
High Point improved to 5-6 with the win while North Carolina Central fell to 2-11. The 28 percent field goal shooting by NCCU was the lowest of any HPU opponent this year.
The game was very defensive from the outset, with NC Central leading just 6-5 after six minutes, and the Panthers leading just 13-10 with over 12 minutes played. Each basket made was a battle. Midway through the first half, HPU missed four shots in a row and got the offensive rebound every time before Daniels dunked home the rebound of a
David Campbell miss.
Later in the half, HPU started making some headway. The Panthers took a 19-12 lead when Campbell set up a Harris layup on the fast break that forced NC Central to call a timeout. Minutes later, Campbell and Harris broke away for a two-on-one, and this time Campbell hit a layup and converted a foul that made it 22-14. Four Eagles treys late in the first half, including two by Wilkerson, kept it close and HPU led 30-26 at the midpoint.
The second half started the same way as the first: a defensive war on both ends. By the second official timeout with just over 10 minutes left in regulation, High Point was leading 46-34, outscoring NC Central just 16-8 in the period. By that point, Daniels had notched his 10th point and 10th rebound, marking the Panthers' first double-double of the season.
With NC Central pressing hard on defense late in the game, HPU freshman
Jairus Simms hit a pair of key three-pointers, both on helpers from
Nick Barbour, to put HPU ahead 56-40. A minute later, Wilkerson fouled out. He was the game's high scorer at the time, with his 16 points in 31 minutes.
The Eagles continued to play hard as the game came to a close. In the final minute, Barbour was double teamed in the backcourt but managed to get a pass off to Harris, who raced to the other end. Harris dropped a pass to
Corey Law, who slammed it home and drew a foul. He didn't hit the free throw, but his bucket made it 70-56 en route to the 70-58 final.
Daniels' double-double was the first by any HPU player this season and the seventh of his career. He also blocked three shots while committing just one foul.
"We've been spending a lot of time with the big guys working on skill development," said Cherry. "But it comes down to his determination. He's getting offensive rebounds, scoring on putbacks and dump-offs. He's a menace on the defensive end. I'm hoping we can get that every game from him. He's certainly capable of a double-double every time out."
NC Central's Nick Chasten led all scorers with 20 points. Wilkerson (16) and Michael Glasker (11) also scored in double figures for NCCU while T.J. Granger hauled in 10 rebounds.
Barbour went scoreless (0-3) from three-point range for the first time this season but still managed 10 points, four assists, three rebounds and a career-high four blocks. Simms scored a career-high 10 points.
High Point resumes its conference schedule with three more home games. The Panthers host Gardner-Webb on Saturday, Jan. 2, and UNC Asheville on Monday, Jan. 4. HPU then hosts Radford on Jan. 9 before going back on the road for three games, including a trip to NC Central on Jan. 11.
