WHEN: Saturday, January 7, 2 p.m.
WHERE: Kimmel Arena (3,200)
RECORDS: High Point (7-8, 1-2), UNC Asheville (10-6, 2-1)
SERIES RECORD: UNC Asheville leads 28-21
LAST MEETING: UNC Asheville def. High Point, 80-69, on March 5, 2016
LIVE VIDEO: Big South Network
LIVE AUDIO: High Point Panther Radio Network
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)
 
HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point returns to the road this weekend as the Panthers travel to Asheville, N.C., to face off with the Bulldogs of UNC Asheville on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 2 p.m. The Panthers will try and get back to .500 with a win over the Bulldogs.
 
Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. Kevin Burke and Stafford Stephenson will be back on the call on the High Point Panthers Radio Network, with pre-game coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m.
 
PAW PRINTS
• High Point dropped its second-straight game in conference play on Wednesday with an 80-74 loss to preseason favorite Winthrop at the Millis Center. HPU trailed by double digits early in the second half but rallied all the back within one before ultimately falling to the Eagles.
 
• Four Panther players finished in double figures against Winthrop, led by senior forwards Tarique Thompson and Miles Bowman Jr., who both scored 15 for the Purple & White. Bowman Jr., also led HPU with 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.
 
• Despite shooting struggles from outside over the past two games, High Point still ranks third in the Big South and 68th in the nation in 3-point shooting at 38.2 percent. HPU has shot over .380 in all but five games this season and set a program Div. I record in 3-point shooting percentage by going 12-15 (.800) at Vanderbilt on Dec. 6.
 
• The Panther defense has become a calling card for High Point in 2016-17. HPU sits second in the Big South in points allowed per game at 68.6. High Point has allowed fewer than 65 points in eight games this season and is 7-1 in those games.
 
•  Freshman Jamal Wright currently sits second in the Big South in assists per game (3.8) in his first collegiate campaign. He has 54 assists while committing just 36 turnovers and is also second in the conference with a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
• Bowman Jr. is one of 55 players nationally with at least six double-doubles in 2016-17. The redshirt-senior is second in the Big South and 56th nationally in rebounds/game (8.9).
 
HISTORY vs. UNC ASHEVILLE
High Point trails in the all-time series against Winthrop with a 21-28 record in 49 meetings. The Panthers had won four-straight games against Asheville, including a 73-69 win at home last season, before falling to the Bulldogs in the Big South Tournament last season. The tournament game against UNC Asheville was the coming out party for Miles Bowman Jr., as the forward went off for 23 points and 16 rebounds in the loss. Austin White has 12 in the contest while Andre Fox added 11 off the bench. High Point is 1-4 all-time at Kimmel Arena, having lost the first four times in the building before picking up a 75-71 win there in 2015, the last meeting between the two teams in Asheville.
 
HISTORY vs. OPPONENTS FROM NORTH CAROLINA
High Point has complied a 329-271 (.548) record all-time against Div. I programs hailing from the Tar Heel State. HPU's most common opponents are Elon (86-76, .531), Appalachian State (60-36, .625) and Western Carolina (40-23, .635). The majority of those meetings came during the NAIA era. High Point is 79-71 (.527) against Big South programs from North Carolina and 250-200 (.556) against the rest of the state's Div. I teams. The Panthers are 2-1 against Dev. I teams from North Carolina this season with wins over UNCG and Gardner-Webb and a loss at Western Carolina.
 
A LOOK AT THE BULLDOGS (10-6, 2-1 BIG SOUTH)
UNC Asheville comes into the weekend with a 10-6 overall record and a 2-1 mark in the Big South thanks to back-to-back wins over Gardner-Webb and Liberty. The Bulldogs shared two common opponents with HPU in the non-conference portion of the schedule, earning a win at home against Western Carolina and falling at home to UNCG. Ahmad Thomas is one of two returning starters for UNC Asheville and 6-3 guard is tops on the team in both scoring at 15.8 points per game and rebounding at 6.2 boards per game. Asheville also feature one of the top newcomers in the Big South this season in freshman Macio Teague. The 6-3 guard is a deadly outside shooter at .449 from three and is second on the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game, including a career-high 29 points against UNCG. UNC Asheville is tops in the league in 3-point shooting at 39.3 percent. The team averages 20 attempts and eight makes a game from behind the arc.
 
UP NEXT
High Point hosts Liberty at the Millis Center on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. It is the first of two-straight games at home for the Panthers. HPU dropped both of its games against the Flames last season, losing both games by a total of six points.
 
#GoHPU