Box Score BOX SCORE

The High Point University women's basketball team took a 17-0 lead to start the game against UNC Asheville and went on to win, 78-49, on Saturday afternoon in the Millis Center. Junior Jurica Hargraves scored 11 points in the win to go over 1,000 points scored in her HPU career.

“This was the same thing we did against Radford,” head coach Tooey Loy said. “Defensively we were communicating, we had very few breakdowns; and offensively we had people moving and really executing our offense. We have so much speed off the dribble that if we can move the ball it opens gaps. You look at the box score and we have six people around ten points and that's how we want to play. I thought we were a really good basketball team tonight.”

Freshman Erin Reynolds finished with 15 points, including 10 from the free throw line to lead all scorers and junior Mackenzie Maier chipped in with 10 to join Reynolds and Hargraves in double figures for the game. Three other Panthers scored at least eight points with juniors Frances Fields (Sumter, S.C./Sumter) and LaTeisha Dean (Virginia Beach, Va./Green Run) finishing with nine and junior Amy Dodd (Apex, N.C./Apex) ending the game with eight. Fields also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out five assists to lead HPU in both categories. Asheville's Kelli Riles finished with 12 points and seven rebounds to lead UNCA.

The Panthers jumped ahead 6-0 out of the gates, forcing Asheville to call timeout just two and half minutes into the action. Senior Ashlee' Samuels connected twice from the low blocks in the early minutes for four of HPU's six points.

A steal and two free throws by Fields and two straight threes from the top of the key by Maier pushed the High Point advantage to 14-0 at the first media timeout. The Panthers defense held UNCA to 0-8 shooting and forced three turnovers in the first five minutes of play.

Hargraves connected on a three with 13 minutes left in the half to extend HPU's game-opening run to 17-0 before a three by the Bulldogs' Lindsey Thompson ended UNCA's scoreless streak, making the score 17-3. HPU answered right back on its next possession with a three by Hargraves to push the advantage back to 17, 20-3.

High Point led by 21, 32-17, with a little under six minutes left in the half when two-straight three pointers by Asheville pulled the Bulldogs to within 15, 32-17. After a media timeout, High Point responded with a three by Reynolds and a lay-up by Samuels to take a 20-point lead, 37-17, with 2:32 left before the half.

The Panthers hit five free throws in the final two minutes of the first half and took a 42-21, into the locker rooms at the break. Reynolds scored eight points for HPU to lead all scorers at the break while Asheville's Kendall Shepard led the Bulldogs with seven points.

The High Point lead remained 21, 50-29, just over 14 minutes left in the game when a lay-up by Dean and a steal and coast-to-coast layup by sophomore Shamia Brown pushed the lead to 25 and forced UNCA to call timeout. Out of the stoppage, the Panthers forced an Asheville turnover and Reynolds was fouled on a three and hit all three free throws to go up 57-29.

HPU scored the next six points on baskets in the paint by Reynolds, Hargraves and Brown to extend its lead to 63-29. Down 34, the Bulldogs managed a 7-0 run to make the score 63-36 with just under nine minutes remaining in the game. The 27-point deficit was as close as UNC Asheville would get in the second half.

The two teams traded baskets over the final nine minutes of the game with the Panthers ultimately winning by 29, 78-49. As the minutes wound down, Hargraves gave the HPU fans one more reason to cheer, hitting a three from the left side pass 1,000 points.

“I wasn't going to say anything, but we were in the media timeout and I told everyone that Jurica had 999 and I needed her to get 1,000 so we could get her out of the game,” Loy said. “That is a huge accomplishment for her, still in her junior year with some games left. She is really starting to play well.”

High Point forced 23 turnovers in the game and scored 24 points off those turnovers, including 10 on the fast break. 

The Panthers improve to 15-11 overall and 8-5 in the Big South with the win. Asheville falls to 7-19 overall and 2-11 in the Big South. The Bulldogs next game comes at home on Saturday, Feb. 27, when the team hosts Liberty.

High Point wraps up its home schedule on Monday, Feb. 22, when the Panthers welcome Presbyterian to the Millis Center. In the two teams' first meeting, High Point managed to pull out a hard-fought, 69-64, win behind 21 points from Maier. HPU will honor its two seniors, Samuels and Whitney Tarver, in a ceremony before the game. Tip-off against the Blue Hose is set for 7 p.m.