BOX SCORE
The High Point University men's basketball team took a 76-63 loss to South Carolina State on Wednesday night at the Memorial Center in Orangeburg, S.C. Senior
Eugene Harris led the Panthers with 16 points and
Cruz Daniels had eight points and eight rebounds.
High Point fell to 4-4 overall while South Carolina State improved to 5-1. The teams split the season series after HPU took a 74-66 win at the Millis Center on Nov. 30.
Nick Barbour opened the game with a three-pointer after neither team scored on their first possessions. The Panthers had an early 7-2 lead before South Carolina State went on a run. Several turnovers led to a 24-14 lead for the Bulldogs before the Panthers got on a 10-2 run of their own.
Three-pointers by Harris and David Campell, a jumper by
Jairus Simms and a dunk by Daniels got the Panthers within two points. Harris hit another three-pointer that made it 30-29 in favor of the Bulldogs at halftime.
David Singleton nearly had a fast-break layup just before the period ran out but his shot was blocked. Harris led HPU with eight points at the half and Daniels had four points, five rebounds and a block. Jason Flagler led South Carolina State with 10 points and Westley Telfare had five points and four rebounds.
On SC State's opening possession of the second half, HPU sophomore
Corey Law stole the ball and scored on a fast break to make it 31-30 HPU, the Panthers' first lead since early in the game. The Bulldogs quickly got a five-point lead before another Harris three-pointer made it 40-38. SCSU continued opening up small leads, however, and a Westley Telfare three-pointer made it 49-43 in favor of the Bulldogs. SC State's lead had grown to eight before Harris hit another three to make it 56-52. The Panthers couldn't get it any closer, however, and SC State's lead hovered around 10 points in the closing minutes.
Flagler was the game's high scorer with 20 points, Darnell Porter scored 15 and Khalif Toombs had 10.
The Panthers continue their road swing after a 10-day break when they take on Marshall on Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. HPU plays Youngstown State two days later at 7 p.m.
