Box Score BOX SCORE
Postgame with Scott Cherry

The High Point University men's basketball team had a nine-point lead at halftime but Liberty's Kyle Ohman went off for 24 points in the second half and 39 in the game to lead the Flames to a 76-67 win over the Panthers on Saturday night at the Vines Center in Lynchburg, Va. Eugene Harris scored 17 points and Nick Barbour scored 13 for the Panthers.

"We were two different teams," said HPU head coach Scott Cherry. "In the first half we were one of the best teams in the conference. We did the things we wanted to on both offense and defense. In the second half we let them get right back in it, not so much just scoring but we let them do things. We gave up second-chance points, took fouls and made silly mistakes. You can't give the other team confidence like that."

After the loss, High Point is 13-14 overall and 8-8 in the Big South while Liberty improved to 14-14 overall and 8-8 in the Big South.

Liberty's Ohman scored the first two baskets of the game, but the Panthers came back and had the score tied at 7-7 when Barbour hit a trey. The Panthers got out to a 19-11 lead on a 10-2 run that started with a pair of Corey Law baskets. On the second, he stole the ball and slammed home a one-handed dunk. Liberty was able to come back and took a 20-19 lead when Jeremy Anderson shot-faked, then hit a jumper.

The score went back and forth for several minutes before High Point was able to finish the first half on a 15-4 run that was book-ended by a pair of three-pointers from Harris. The first gave the Panthers a 26-25 advantage and Harris's second was a long-range trey in the final minute that made it 38-29. In the middle of the run, Earnest Bridges had five consecutive points – a dunk under the basket before a two-and-one.

Ohman led a Liberty comeback early in the second half and the Flames took the lead when he completed a two-and-one, then hit another layup to make it 48-47 in favor of Liberty. The lead went back and forth for several minutes before Liberty was able to get out front. Once again it was Ohman hitting a pair of free throws to give Liberty the lead at 61-60 before he hit two treys. The second was from way outside and made it 67-61 Liberty with 2:16 left.

The Panthers went 1-for-7 from the field over the final four minutes of the game, the only score a three-pointer by David Campbell with 10 seconds left in the game. Over the same stretch, Liberty went 2-for-2 from the floor and 11-for-16 from the line, with 12 of Liberty's 17 points coming from Ohman.

High Point's final two games of the regular season come at the Millis Center next week. The Panthers host Winthrop on Thursday and Presbyterian on Saturday. Both games begin at 7 p.m