WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 21 | 2 p.m.
WHERE: Millis Center | High Point, N.C.
RECORDS: High Point (4-12, 2-3), Gardner-Webb (8-8, 3-2)
SERIES RECORD: 30th meeting | HPU leads 17-12
LAST MEETING: Gardner-Webb won, 79-72, | High Point, N.C. | Feb. 3, 2016
Video: Big South Network
Audio: High Point Panthers Radio Network
Live Stats: RadfordAthletics.Com
Game Notes: HighPointPanthers.Com
 
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University women's basketball team returns home after a tough road trip to host Gardner-Webb on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Millis Center.
 
The Panthers (4-12, 2-3) followed its road win at UNC Asheville with a 59-56 setback at league-leading Radford on Tuesday. HPU trailed throughout the first half before posting a run in the second half to grab the lead. However, the Highlanders fought right back and held on for a 59-56 win.
 
Honoring Keys
Prior to the tip on Saturday, the Panthers will recognize Kaylah Keys for becoming the program's Division I scoring leader. The senior passed Shamia Brown for the record on Dec. 21 at Western Carolina and has scored 1,665 points in her career.
 
Quick Hitters
 • Emma Bockrath has ramped up her already staggering production since the conference season started. The sophomore is averaging 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.8 steals in HPU's five league contests.
 
• For the second straight season, the Panthers are leading the Big South in free throw shooting percentage (.761), but have fallen to second in three-point shooting percentage (.334). HPU currently ranks 31st in the nation from the charity stripe.
 
• High Point was credited with nine assists on its 22 made shots against the Highlanders on Tuesday. Now the team averages assists on 59.2 percent of its field goals this season. For comparison, the 2015-16 squad dished out assists on 50.5 percent of its made baskets while the Runnin' Bulldogs have assisted on 47.3 percent of their buckets this winter.
 
• Kaylah Keys has started 101 games in her HPU career and needs just five more to break Frances Fields' Division I program record.
 
• Outside of her record scoring pace, Kaylah Keys is headed toward other remarkable career milestones. The guard needs 53 rebounds, 21 assists and 13 steals to become the first Panther in the team's Division I era to rack up 400 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals.
 
• During the two contests against Gardner-Webb last season, Haleigh Hatfield proved to cause matchup issues averaging 17.5 points and drilling 3.0 three's per game as a stretch-four.
 
• In 2015-16, the Purple & White averaged 35.8 rebounds per game and finished 241st in the nation. However, this season the Panthers have stepped it up on the glass pulling down 40.4, which ranks 96th nationally and third in the conference.
 
• Kat Harris is now 44-of-50 (.880) from the line this year, which is good for second in the Big South and 23rd in the country. She trails only Ke'Asia Jackson in her search to repeat as the league-leader.
 
HPU's The Swiss Army Knife
• Emma Bockrath has done a little bit of everything for the Panthers this season including starting as a guard and a forward. The sophomore ranks in the top-3 of the squad in almost all statistical categories.
            • Scoring: 10.9 ppg (second)
            • Rebounding: 5.9 rpg (first)
            • Assists: 3.3 apg (first)
            • Steals: 27 (first)
            • Blocks: 4 (third)
            • Field Goals: 69 (first)
 
• The Dayton, Ohio product is the one of two players in the conference to average at least 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest (Erica Williams, Winthrop).
 
Taking Advantage of Opponents' Charity
• A season after upping the Division I season record for free throw percentage (.749), HPU is leading the conference and 31st in the nation hitting .761 from the line.
 
• HPU dipped below 60 percent in two straight games, but in the last seven contests since, its 134-of-163 (82 percent).
 
All-Time Series with Gardner-Webb
The Panthers own a 17-12 edge in the overall series after dropping last season's meetings to the Runnin' Bulldogs.
 
Last Time They Met
Haleigh Hatfield posted a career-high six three-pointers en route to a 24-point outing as the Panthers fell 79-72 to Gardner-Webb in the Millis Center on Feb. 13, 2016.
 
Scouting the Runnin' Bulldogs
Despite just a 3-2 record, GWU is one of the hottest teams in the league after running off hard-fought wins over Liberty and UNC Asheville. Tierra Huntsman leads the way and is second in the league in scoring with 14.6 points per contest. Meanwhile, Carley Plentovich has emerged averaging 12.0 points per game during the winning streak.
 
The Matchup to Watch
This weekend's contest in the Millis Center is a matchup between the conference's top two three-point shooting teams. Gardner-Webb is hitting 34 percent while HPU is drilling 33 percent from international waters. The contest also features two of the top three sharpshooters in the conference in Huntsman (.411) and Harris (.389).
 
Next Up
HPU travels to Campbell on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. to take on the Camels in Gore Arena.
 
#GoHPU