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The High Point University women's basketball team played Cincinnati even in the first half but was unable to withstand a run by the Bearcats early in the second half, ultimately falling by a score of 62-40 in the Hilton Garden Inn Hokie Classic Championship on Thursday evening in Blacksburg, Va.

“I thought we came out with high energy and were committed to the game plan in the first half and got on the boards,” head coach Jennifer Hoover. “Unfortunately this is a 40 minute game and they were the more aggressive team in the second 20. We need to continue being the work in progress we are and find a way to play defense and rebound for all 40 minutes.”

Sophomore Lindsay Puckett was the only HPU player to finish in double digits on the night, scoring 13 points off the bench to lead the Panthers. Puckett got nine of her 13 points from behind the arc, shooting 3-7 on three pointers.

Sophomore Cheyenne Parker led HPU with 11 rebounds in the game while junior Erin Reynolds paced High Point in assists with four on the day.

Bjonee Reaves and Dayeesha Hollins each finished the game with 14 points to lead Cincinnati with 27 of the 28 combined points coming in the second half.

High Point concludes its non-conference schedule with a 5-6 record with the loss. The Bearcats improve to 9-5 overall.

With the game tied at 20-20 at halftime, Cincinnati took control of the game at the start of the second half, using a 21-7 run to take a 41-27 lead with just under 12 minutes remaining. Senior Shamia Brown, sophomore Tayler Tremblay and Puckett each picked up a basket during the run for High Point.

A three from the left baseline by Puckett cut into the Bearcat run but Cincinnati continued to extend its lead to as large as 27, 62-35, with 2:10 remaining. The Panthers scored the final five points of the game on two free throws by Parker and a three from Puckett to make the final score 62-40.

Neither team was able to get into much of an offensive rhythm in the first half as both sides struggled shooting the ball and with turnovers. The lead switched hands five times in the opening 20 minutes with six ties including the halftime deadlock of 20-20. High Point claimed its biggest lead of the first half and the game with 14:44 remaining as Reynolds hit a layup to go up 8-4.

HPU's recent shooting woes continued as the Panthers shot just 8-35 (22.9 percent) from the floor in the first half, but managed to stay in the game thanks to a 27-15 edge in rebounds and 10 forced turnovers. Reynolds and Puckett led High Point at the half with five points each.

High Point finished the game shooting 14-55 (25.5 percent) from the floor. The Panthers won the battle of the boards, 36-33, but turned the ball over 25 times compared to 19 for Cincinnati. The 40 points scored by HPU is the fewest in a game since the Panthers scored 39 points against Florida State on Jan. 2, 2007.

With non-conference play finished High Point will next return home to begin its Big South schedule against UNC Asheville on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 4 p.m. The game will be the first half on an HPU basketball doubleheader with the men's team taking on Coastal Carolina following the conclusion.