Box Score BOX SCORE
Podcast Review
Postgame with Scott Cherry
Postgame with Earnest Bridges

Nick Barbour scored 24 points, including 20 in the first half, as the High Point University men's basketball team cruised to an 81-53 win over Liberty on Thursday night at the Millis Center. The Panthers also got 12 points from Corey Law and 10 points and nine rebounds from David Singleton.

"For the most part, this game and the Radford game were the only ones we really put together 40 good minutes," said HPU head coach Scott Cherry. "Earnest Bridges and David Singleton were great off the bench and obviously it was great that Nick Barbour got back on the scoring track. He has been in the gym working really hard. I'm happy for my guys, it was a total team effort."

High Point improved to 10-8 overall and 5-3 Big South while Liberty fell to 9-11 overall and 4-4 in Big South play. High Point improved to 8-0 at the Millis Center this season.

The Panthers stormed out to a 17-6 lead when Barbour hit his third three-pointer and drew a foul for a four-point play. By then he already had 12 points on 3-for-3 shooting from three-point range. Earnest Bridges hit a pair of free throws three minutes later to make it 23-12. Liberty then scored seven straight points, including four from Johnny Stephene, to make it 23-19. The Panthers allowed just two points in the remainder of the first half.

HPU went on a 13-2 run as Barbour hit two more treys and Singleton, Law and Bridges each hit a field goal. HPU led 36-21 at halftime with Barbour scoring 20.

The Panthers extended their lead early in the second half, getting six points from Singleton and five from Law in the first seven minutes to help make it 54-35 by the second official timeout. The Flames got a pair of free throws from Stephene before Tehran Cox converted a two-and-one to make it 57-37 with 11 minutes left, HPU's first 20-point lead of the game. HPU stretched its lead to 28 points (71-43) when Cox hit his second three-pointer of the game with just over five minutes left.

High Point maintained a lead in excess of 26 points for the final five minutes, gaining a 30-point margin when Joe Stroman stole the ball and went to the hoop for his second layup of the game with 1:45 left.

Bridges had one of his strongest games of the season, scoring nine points and pulling down eight rebounds. Cox scored nine points and had six assists with just one turnover.

Jeremy Anderson was the only Flames player in double figures with 11 points, including three treys that all came in the second half.

High Point University will look to continue its success on Saturday when it hosts VMI at the Millis Center at 7 p.m. The game is already sold out to the general public.