GAME INFO
Saturday, Dec. 21 -- vs Belmont Abbey (Millis Center), 2 p.m.
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The High Point University men's basketball team (2-9) is set to host its last game before Christmas break when it welcomes NCAA Division II opponent No. 20-ranked Belmont Abbey (8-3) to the Millis Center on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 21).
 
Fans are encouraged to arrive early to receive a High Point Christmas stocking. Saturday's contest will be a Draw Like a Panther Redemption Game presented by YMCA of High Point, with the winners be recognized at halftime. The High Point Senior Rah Rah's will also perform at halftime.
 
Smith vs Belmont Abbey
Head Coach Tubby Smith faced Belmont Abbey as a player three times during his time as a student-athlete at High Point and went 3-0. This is Coach Smith's first-time facing Belmont Abbey as a coach, while he is 3-0 all time when facing against a Division II opponent.
 
Matchup History
HPU is 23-18 all time against Belmont Abbey with a majority of its matchups occurring when the Panthers were Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference foes prior to making the jump to NCAA Division I in 1999. 
 
Panther Notes

• Sophomore Curtis Holland III recorded 16 points against Valpo, which extended his double-digit scoring streak to seven straight games.
•  Freshman John Michael Wright is coming of his best scoring performance to date as he dropped a career high 25 points in the 87-72 setback against Valparaiso on Wednesday night. He has recorded double-digit scoring in eight out of his first career games.
• Sophomore Rob Peterson III was the top contributor off the bench last game against Valpo, providing the Panthers an extra boost by adding eight points, four rebounds, four assists, and a steal.
• John Michael Wright leads all Big South freshmen in scoring averaging 13.5 per game, which also ranks him ninth in scoring in the conference overall.
• HPU has outrebounded each of its last three opponents for a combined total of 96-82.
• This the second game of the week for the Panthers, both of their opponents go by the nickname "Crusaders".
• Saturday's contest will be the 2,500th game in program history.
   

Across the Bench

• Belmont Abbey comes into this game with a record of 8-3 and ranked No. 20 in the D2SIDA poll.  It will be a quick turn-around for the Crusaders as they host Barton on Friday and then will travel to HPU on Saturday.
• The Crusaders are coached by Dan Ficke, who is in his first season with Belmont Abbey. Ficke was most recently an assistant at the University of Denver.
• The Crusaders are led by senior Dequan Abrom, who averages 25.5 points per game which ranks him seventh in all of Division II in scoring.
• Belmont Abbey is a high-scoring team, averaging 89.8 points per game and have scored 100 points or more in a game three times this season.

 
Up Next: HPU plays its final non-conference game of the season with a trip to Austin, Texas to take on Texas on December 30th.
 

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