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

The High Point University men's basketball team held off Big South leader Coastal Carolina for a 69-65 win on Thursday night at the Millis Center. Senior Eugene Harris led the Panthers with 14 points while junior Earnest Bridges and freshman Jairus Simms posted season highs of 13 and 12, respectively.

"I'm really happy for my team, they played a tremendous ballgame," said HPU head coach Scott Cherry. "We got contributions from everyone. Earnest Bridges and Jairus Simms were great off the bench. Offensively, that was the best we've been all year. Defensively, we got stops when we needed them."

High Point improved to 12-12 overall and 7-6 in the Big South while Coastal Carolina moved to 21-5 overall and 11-3 in Big South play with the loss.

Coastal Carolina came back to tie the game twice late in the second half but was never able to take the lead. The Chanticleers tied the game at 61-61 when Kierre Greenwood hit a pair of free throws with 5:11 left, but HPU's Harris went up the lane and banked a shot off the glass to get the Panthers back out front. Coastal's Chad Gray hit a jumper to make it 63-63 before HPU's Corey Law hit a layup to get the Panthers back out front for good.

The lead was never certain in the final minutes. After a Eugene Harris jumper, Coastal Carolina's Joseph Harris hit a pair of free throws. The Chanticleers got the ball back when Eugene Harris was called for an offensive foul. With HPU leading 67-65, Tehran Cox stole the ball and ran it down for a layup to make the final 69-65. Coastal Carolina's scoring attempt in the final seconds came up empty.

HPU sophomore Nick Barbour hit a three-pointer as time ran out in the first half to give HPU a 43-35 lead at the break. The Panthers had led by as many as 15 points in the first half when Bridges hit a jumper to make it 31-16. That play caused Coastal Carolina head coach Cliff Ellis to call a timeout and his team responded with eight straight points, including three-pointers from Mario Edwards and Gray. The game stayed relatively close the rest of the way.

Bridges scored 10 points in the first half. Along with his jumper that gave HPU a 15-point lead, he took a pass down low from Simms and finished it with a dunk. Shortly after Bridges' dunk, Law had a slam, Cox hit a fast break layup and Simms and Harris drained three-pointers.

HPU's Harris had his 250th career assist in the game, making him the first HPU player and fifth in Big South history with 250 career assists and 250 career three pointers. Along with his 12 points, Simms led the Panthers and tied his season high with five assists in a season-high 25 minutes.

Coastal Carolina had four players score in double figures: Edwards (14), Harris (12), Logan Johnson (11) and Gray (11). Harris also had a game-high 11 rebounds for a double-double.

High Point hosts Charleston Southern on Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Millis Center. The game will be televised live on MASN. At 2 p.m. on Saturday, the HPU women's basketball team hosts Big South leader Gardner-Webb.