Box Score BOX SCORE

The High Point University women's basketball team struggled offensively, falling to Winthrop by a score of 56-50 on Saturday afternoon in Rock Hill, S.C. Sophomore Shamia Brown scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds to pace the Panthers.

“The effort tonight was pretty good, we just couldn't throw it in,” head coach Tooey Loy said. “We were 1-10 from the three point line and weren't much better on layups. I thought Winthrop was as good as I have seen them all year. I wasn't disappointed by our effort, we came ready to play but we just couldn't make anything. Usually when you hold a team to 56 points you come out on top but tonight just wasn't one of those nights.”

HPU shot just 29.6 percent (16-54) from the field and just 1-10 from behind the arc. The Panthers did perform well at the line, shooting 17-21 in the game.

High Point struggled early in the game and trailed Winthrop by 10, 23-13, after 12 minutes of play. The Panthers shot just 3-13 from the field and had seven turnovers while WU shot 11-16 to start the game.

A baseline jumper from 15-feet out by Brown knocked HPU back on track and started an 8-0 run to pull High Point to within two, 23-21 with a little under three minutes left in the half. The Panthers held Winthrop without a field goal for 6:22 to get back into the game.

The two teams traded baskets over the last minutes of the period as Winthrop took a two-point lead, 27-25, into the break. After opening the game with just three field goals on their first 13 shots, High Point shot 5-8 down the stretch to run down Winthrop.

Junior LaTeisha Dean scored six points in the first half for the High Point while Shanice Cole led all scorers with 12 points for WU.

Two free throws by junior Amy Dodd and a layup by junior Frances Fields gave High Point its first lead of the game, 29-27, one minute into the second half. A steal and fast break layup by Brown extended the HPU run to 6-0 to open the second half and forced a timeout from the Winthrop bench with 17:41 left.

The High Point lead fluctuated between two and four points until four-straight free throws by Winthrop's Mary Hathaway put the Eagles back in front, 35-33, with 12:38 left in the game.

Both teams struggled shooting the ball combining for just six points over the next five minutes and with just over seven minutes left, Winthrop led by a score of 39-35. Dodd hit a three from the left corner to pull HPU to within one, but WU came right back with a 9-2 run to go up 48-40 with a little four minutes left.

Three-straight points by Fields on a back-court steal and a layup and a free throw on the next possession pulled High Point to within three, 48-45, with 1:43 left in the game but the Eagles scored the next five points to go up by eight with 42 seconds left.

High Point made one last run, scoring five points in 1.6 seconds to pull within three, 53-50, with 28 seconds remaining as Brown had an old-fashioned three and Fields hit two free throws after Dean stole the inbounds and fed the point guard.

The Panthers were unable to manage any further scoring however, shooting 0-4 in the final seconds while Winthrop scored three points from the free throw line to seal the 56-50 decision.

Fields joined Brown in double figures in the game with 12 points for the Panthers while Dodd finished with nine points and a team-high three assists. HPU falls to 16-12 on overall on the season and 9-6 in the Big South.

Cole led all scorers with a career-high 24 points for Winthrop on her senior night. WU improves to 11-16 overall and 5-8 in Big South play.

High Point will have eight days off before heading to Lynchburg, Va., for the regular season finale against Liberty on Monday, March 8. Tip-off against the Flames is set for 7 p.m.