Box Score BOX SCORE
A late comeback by the High Point University women's basketball team fell just short as the Panthers dropped a 66-60 decision to Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Ga. Wednesday in the team's final non-conference game of the season.
“I didn't think that we played very good basketball for the first 25 minutes of the game,” head coach Tooey Loy said. “This is a tough place to play and we didn't have much preparation because of the weather. I thought we looked much better in the last 15 minutes of the game. We got back to playing the type of basketball we were playing before the break. Now we have to get back to the gym and get some practices under our belt before conference play”
The Panthers trailed by 14, 50-36, midway through the second half, but closed to within three in the final minutes before ultimately falling to the Eagles by six. Senior
Frances Fields scored 13 points to lead HPU, including 11 in the second half as the High Point attempted to climb back into the game.
Playing its first game in 10 days, High Point was sluggish at the start, turning the ball over four times and falling behind by seven, 11-4, in the first four minutes of action. The Panthers began to settle down after the first media timeout as sophomore
Erin Reynolds came off the bench to score five-straight points and spark a 9-2 run over the next three minutes to tie the game at 13-13 with 12 minutes left in the period.
HPU was unable to pull ahead and trailed by one, 24-23 with 5:07 left in the half when the Eagles used a 9-0 to take its largest lead of the game, 33-23, with two minutes left, but the Panthers outscored GSU 6-2 to close the half and went into the locker rooms at the break down six, 35-29.
In her first start of the season, senior
LaTeisha Dean scored 11 points in the opening half to lead High Point, while Meredyth Frye had 13 to lead all scorers for the Eagles.
Georgia Southern opened the second half on a 15-7 run as High Point shot just 3-15 to begin the period and with 10 minutes left in the game, GSU held a 50-36 advantage.
Coming out of an HPU timeout, the Panthers started to pull themselves back into the game with a 13-4 run to cut the Georgia Southern lead to just five, 54-49, with 6:42 left in the contest. Senior
Jurica Hargraves hit two three pointers in the run, including one from deep on the left side to kick start the comeback by HPU.
High Point managed to cut the deficit to just three, 63-60, with 1:24 left in the game on two free throws by Fields, but that would be as close as the Panthers would get as Georgia Southern hit three free throws down the stretch to seal the 66-60 win.
Dean and Hargraves each joined Fields in double figures for the Panthers with 11 and 10 points respectively. Senior
Mackenzie Maier led the team with eight rebounds and four assists.
Frye finished the game with 20 points to lead all scorers for Georgia Southern who improved to 5-8 on the year.
With the loss, High Point finishes its non-conference slate with a 6-7 record. The Panthers open Big South play at home on Monday, Jan. 3, against last season's conference champion, Liberty. HPU dropped three games to Liberty last season, including a 73-55 decision in the Big South semifinals. Tip-off against the Flames is scheduled for 7 p.m.
