Box Score BOX SCORE

The High Point University women's basketball team set a new HPU record for points scored in a Big South Conference game, exploding for 94 in a 94-75 win over UNC Asheville in Asheville, N.C., on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Amy Dodd and junior Shamia Brown each finished with 18 points to lead HPU which had four players in finish in double figures in scoring. Senior Jurica Hargraves finished with 17 and senior LaTeisha Dean had 16.

“One thing we focused on after the Liberty game was making the easy plays on offense and we got back to that today,” head coach Tooey Loy said. “We had three good practices coming into this game and it paid off for us. We had 21 assists and just nine turnovers. We were a great team offensively and really stepped up defensively in the second half.”

With the win, High Point improves to 1-1 in the Big South and 7-8 overall. Asheville falls to 0-2 in the Big South and 7-6 overall.

The contest opened at a frantic pace as both teams looked to press the attack. The lead changed hands four times in the opening minutes before a 7-0 burst by the Bulldogs put Asheville up by six, 14-8, with 15 minutes left in the half.

High Point still trailed by five, with 11 minutes left when Brown scored two quick baskets to start a 10-0 run for the Panthers, putting HPU up 29-24 and forcing a timeout by the Bulldogs. Brown hit a baseline jumper to pull HPU to within three and then finished a fast break with a lay-up off a pass from senior Frances Fields.

The Panthers led by as much as 11 in the first half and went into the locker rooms with a seven-point advantage, 48-41. HPU shot over 51.5 percent (17-33) in the opening period, including a 8-15 performance from behind the arc. Hargraves did much of the damage with four three pointers on seven attempts for 12 points to lead High Point at the break.

Dodd scored the seven of HPU's nine points of the second half as High Point opened the period on a 9-0 to go up by 16, 57-41. Dodd hit two free throws on High Point's first possession and then had an old-fashioned three-point play, scoring on a fast break layup while being fouled and converting on the free throw. After a lay-up by Fields, Dodd again got in the lane for a lay-up, doubling her point total of the first half.

The High Point run extended to 28-8, giving the Panthers a 76-49 lead with 10 minutes left in the contest. Dean, Hargraves, Dodd and Brown combined for 24 of High Point's 28 points. High Point's defense limited the Bulldogs to just three field goals during the 10-minute run.

The 94 points scored by High Point eclipses the Panthers previous record of 90 which the Panthers scored against Coastal Carolina in 2003. It was the fifth-highest single game total in the High Point Division I era.

Hargraves tied her career high with seven assist to lead HPU. Freshman Cheyenne Parker finished with a team-best nine rebounds and tied her career high with six blocks. Sophomore Erin Reynolds finished with nine points, three assists, two blocks and set a new career high with seven rebounds.

“We were short one of our starters today and a lot of other players really stepped up for us here. “ head coach Tooey Loy said. “This was a great all-around team win for us. A lot of players gave us big minutes. Now we need to get ready for Radford on Monday.”

High Point's defense locked down Asheville in the second half, holding the Bulldogs to just 10-35 shooting and just 1-8 from behind the arc. The Panthers held Kendall Shepard and Lindsey Thompson, the top-two scorers in the Big South to just 15 combined points on 5-18 shooting.

Breaira Barksdale led Asheville with 16 points in the game while four other players finished with 10 points for the Bulldogs.

The Panthers will continue their weekend road swing on Monday, Jan. 10, when they take on the Radford Highlanders in Radford, Va., at 7 p.m. High Point swept the season series against Radford last year, winning by at least 11 points in each of the two contests.