WHEN: March 1, 2017 | 9 p.m.
WHERE: Winthrop Coliseum (6,100)
RECORDS: High Point (15-15, 9-9) | Gardner-Webb (18-13, 11-7)
SERIES RECORD: High Point leads 27-25
LAST MEETING: Gardner-Webb defeated High Point, 88-86, in overtime at the Millis Center on Feb. 25
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN3
LIVE AUDIO: High Point Panther Radio Network
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)
 
HIGH POINT, N.C.—The High Point University men's basketball team plays Garnder-Webb in the quarterfinals of the Big South Championship Thursday evening (March 2) at the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, S.C. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m., but will occur approximately 30 minutes after the Winthrop/Charleston Southern quarterfinal, which starts at 7 p.m.
 
Last time out, these two same teams squared off, as the Runnin' Bulldogs came away the victors in an 88-86 overtime matchup on Saturday (Feb. 25). Redshirt-senior Miles Bowman Jr. matched a career-high with 24 points, while sophomore Andre Fox and senior Tarique Thompson added 19 and 17, respectively.
 
Kevin Burke and Stafford Stephenson will be back on the call on the High Point Panthers Radio Network on Thursday, with pre-game coverage beginning approximately at 8:30 p.m. Evan Lepler and Nate Ross will have the call on ESPN3.
 
PAW PRINTS
• Redshirt-senior Miles Bowman Jr. was named to the Big South All-Conference Second Team, while junior Austin White was named to the All-Academic Team.
 
• Thursday night's contest will be Scott Cherry's 250th game as head coach of High Point. The Panthers have gone 132-117 (.530) overall in Cherry's eight seasons and 84-56 (.600) in Big South Play.
 
• Senior Anthony Lindauer went 2-5 from 3-point range against the Runnin' Bulldogs Saturday. Lindauer is third in the HPU all-time career record book for 3-point shooting percentage at .423 and is sixth in school history with 167 career 3-pointers.
 
• After missing two seasons with knee injuries, redshirt-senior Miles Bowman Jr. has emerged as one of the top players in the Big South. He is 11th in the league in scoring at 13.9 points per game and is averaging 15.1 points per game in conference play. The redshirt-senior ranks among the nation's leaders in free throw shooting and rebounding and he is second in the Big South with 11 double-doubles in 29 games. He is one of  54 players in the nation to tally 11+ double-doubles this season.
 
• HPU has excelled in free throw shooting on the road, going 201-257 (.782). Overall, High Point ranks second in the Big South and 48th in the nation in free throw percentage at .743 (453-610). Redshirt-senior Miles Bowman Jr., leads the Big South and is tied for 14th in the nation in free throw percentage at .899 (98-109).
 
• At last year's Big South Championship, Miles Bowman Jr. became the first Panther to be named to the All-Tournament Team since 2007. The Panthers went 1-1 in the 2016 tournament, defeating Longwood 89-78 in the quarterfinals before falling to UNC Asheville, 80-69, in the semis.
 
HISTORY vs. GARDNER-WEBB
High Point holds a slim 27-25 lead in the all-time series against Gardner-Webb after the Runnin'  Bulldogs' win on Saturday. The two teams have faced each other twice in the Big South Tournament with each team winning once. In 2012, the Panthers won 68-58 as Nick Barbour had a team-high 22 points, while the Runnin' Bulldogs were victorious in 2015 by a score of 72-71 in overtime. John Brown had 27 points in a losing effort for the Panthers.
 
HISTORY vs. IN-STATE OPPONENTS
High Point has complied a 331-274 (.547 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 81-74 (.522) against Big South programs from North Carolina and 250-200 (.556) against the rest of the state's Div. I teams. HPU is 4-4 against Div. I teams from North Carolina this season with wins over UNCG, Gardner-Webb and Cambpell (twice) and losses to UNC Asheville twice and Western Carolina and Gardner-Webb once.
 
A LOOK AT THE RUNNIN' BULLDOGS (18-13, 11-7 BIG SOUTH)
Gardner-Webb is 18-13 (10-7 Big South) on the season coming off Saturday's win over HPU. The Runnin' Bulldogs reached the 10-win mark in league play for the fifth season in a row and finished above .500 overall for the fifth-straight campaign – its longest stretch since 1978-1983. LaQuincy Rideau leads GWU in scoring at 13.9 points per game. Tyrell Nelson is second in the Big South in shooting at 53.8 percent and is sixth in the league in rebounding with 6.9 boards a game. Rideau directs the Gardner-Webb offense, dishing out a Big South-high 5.3 assists per game.