Box Score BOX SCORE

Senior Cruz Daniels had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead the High Point University men's basketball team in an 83-69 loss to UNC Asheville in Asheville, N.C. on Thursday night. Nick Barbour and Eugene Harris each scored 13 points for HPU.

"They shot 63 percent on field goals and 50 percent for three pointers, when you do that you're going to win pretty easily," said HPU head coach Scott Cherry. "We weren't committed on the defensive end. We just weren't locked and we didn't make the plays we needed to make to win."

High Point dropped to .500 with a 10-10 overall record and 5-5 record in the Big South. UNC Asheville won its sixth in a row and improved to 9-12 and 6-4 in conference play.

The first half was back and forth, with UNC Asheville holding a slight edge most of the way. The Panthers tied it for the first time since the score was 2-2 when Tehran Cox went up the lane and hit a layup to make it 32-32. HPU got the ball back when UNC Asheville's Chris Stephenson missed and Barbour drew a foul, draining both free throws to make it 34-32. UNCA pulled back out in front and got a trey from Stephenson and a pair of layups from Jaron Lane before halftime to make it 43-38 at the break.

After halftime, UNC Asheville opened up a 49-40 lead before the Panthers got a layup from Barbour and a jumper from Harris to make it 49-44. High Point couldn't continue to close, however, and the Bulldogs got a quick jumper and a pair of threes to open up a 12-point lead. They continued to hold that lead for most of the second half. The closest HPU got in its comeback bid was within six when Barbour hit a pair of free throws to make it 68-62 with 3:27 remaining.

UNC Asheville's J.P. Primm scored 16 points and dished 12 assists to lead five Bulldogs in double-figures. Sean Smith scored 14 points, Stephenson and Matt Dickey each scored 12 and John Williams scored 11.

Daniels' double-double was his third of the season and the ninth of his career. He surpassed 600 rebounds during the game, finishing the game with 610 for his career.

The Panthers take on Gardner-Webb on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Boiling Springs, N.C. High Point beat Gardner-Webb, 78-68, on Jan. 2 at the Millis Center.