Game Info
Fri. December 17 -- Tampa, Fla. (Yuengling Center) 7:00 PM on ESPN+
High Point at No. 16 South Florida
Watch | Listen | Live Stats | High Point Hoops Media Guide 2021-22 | Game Notes

Mon. December 20 -- West Palm Beach Invitational (Keiser University) 3:30 PM on FloHoops
High Point vs. Dayton
Watch | Live Stats | High Point Hoops Media Guide 2021-22 | Game Notes

Tues. December 21 -- West Palm Beach Invitational (Palm Beach State College) 1:15 PM on FloHoops
High Point vs. Florida Gulf Coast
Watch | High Point Hoops Media Guide 2021-22 | Game Notes

The High Point University women's basketball team will make the trek to Florida for three games over five days. The Panthers set out for a Friday night matchup with South Florida in Tampa before traveling to the West Palm Beach Invitational where they take on Dayton and Florida Gulf Coast. HPU is 3-5 on the season and will wrap up the non-conference schedule in West Palm Beach.

Across the Bench
No. 16 USF was 19-4 a season ago, after losing to No. 1 North Carolina State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bulls earned an at-large bid into the tournament after claiming the American Athletic Conference tournament title.
 
USF is 6-3 this season, picking up wins over WBCA No. 9 Oregon (71-62) and No. 5 Stanford (57-54). Two of the Bulls' three losses were to No. 2 UConn and No. 16 Tennessee.
 
USF's balanced offense is led by Sydni Harvey (13.7 ppg), Elena Tsineke (12.3 ppg), and Elisa Pinzan (11.3 ppg). Pinzan has dished out 54 assists, tied for 17th in NCAA Division I. Bethany Mununga has pulled down 117 rebounds (9th in NCAA DI), 13.0 rebounds per game (3rd NCAA DI).
 
USF coach Jose Fernandez has been at the helm of the program since November 2000. Fernandez has led the Bulls to six 20-win seasons in the last nine years and seven NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
West Palm Beach Invitational Preview
High Point will play two games at the West Palm Beach Invitational, taking on Dayton on Monday afternoon before closing out the invite with a matchup against Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday.
 
Dayton is 6-3 on the season, boasting wins over Power 5 opponents Purdue and Illinois. Dayton has three players who average double-digit scoring: Makira Cook (15.9 ppg), Erin Whalen (14.2 ppg), and Jenna Giacone (12.9 ppg). The Flyers are led by Shauna Green, in her sixth season as a head coach at Dayton.
 
FGCU is 9-1 overall, dropping a close game to Princeton, 58-55, on December 1st. Kierstan Bell has started off 2021 with monster numbers, averaging 23.6 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game. Head coach Karl Smesko is in his 20th season with FGCU.
 
Sunshine State Setup
The Panthers set out on a five-day trip to Florida for three games to round out the 2021-22 non-conference schedule. HPU meets No. 16 South Florida on Friday in Tampa before traveling to the West Palm Beach Invitational on Monday and Tuesday. HPU is set to take on Dayton and Florida Gulf Coast at the invite.
 
Doubled Up on Double-Doubles
Jenson Edwards and Jaden Wrightsell each posted double-doubles against King. Edwards led HPU in scoring with 18 points and 10 rebounds while Wrightsell posted 12 rebounds and 15 points. It was the first time two Panthers posted double-doubles in the same game since Feb. 20, 2016.
 
The Wrightsell Way
Jaden Wrightsell is leading the Big South in field goal percentage through the six games she has played in this season. Going 32-of-59 on field goal attempts, Wrightsell owns the league-best percentage at .542.
 
Jordan Dishing It Out
Jordan Edwards has served a team-high 28 assists this season, which is fifth in the Big South. Edwards leads the Big South in assist/turnover ratio (2.8), with 28 assists against 10 turnovers. Last season, Edwards tallied 142 assists on the season, good for fifth in HPU's single-season records.
 
Hitting the Boards
Jenson Edwards leads HPU and is third in the Big South in defensive rebounds so far this season. Edwards has pulled down 42 defensive rebounds (5.3 rpg) this season. She pulled down a team-high 10 defensive rebounds and posted a double-double with 18 points against King.
 
New Territory, New Opponent
HPU has never played South Florida, Dayton, or FGCU. They are three out of the four new opponents on HPU's 2021-22 schedule.
 
HPU vs. Ranked Opponents
High Point has never defeated an opponent ranked in the top-25 of the WBCA Coaches' Poll. The Panthers' closest loss was on Dec. 4, 2011 against Vanderbilt in a 70-54 ballgame.
 
Two-Time Freshman of the Week
Nakyah Terrell was named the Big South Freshman of the Week for the second time this season on November 29th after posting a double-double against Wake Forest. Terrell led all players is scoring (21 points) and rebounding (11 rebounds) in the contest.
 
Terrell Posts First Double-Double
Freshman Nakyah Terrell recorded her first career double-double against Wake Forest on Nov. 24th. She led the team with 21 points and 11 rebounds while also recording one steal and one assist.
 
Record Book Watch
Redshirt junior Jenson Edwards finished in the top-five all-time for season field goal percentage in 2020-21. Edwards was 141-279 (.505) from the floor. Edwards was also ninth for free throws made and percentage in a season. She was third in percentage (.882) and ninth in free throws made (90). Jenson's .418 three-point percentage line last season was fourth all-time for HPU as well.
 
Jordan Edwards finished tied for fifth for assists in a season (142) and third in assists per game (5.1). Edwards has dished out 28 assists and nabbed 11 steals through the first eight games of the season.
 
Banbury is Back
Head coach Chelsea Banbury is entering her third season at the helm. She was named the fifth Division I head coach of High Point University's women's basketball team in June 2019. Banbury has a 38-20 record at High Point through her first two seasons.
 
Panthers Enter as Preseason No. 1
High Point was selected as the preseason No. 1 in the Big South while Skyler Curran and Jenson Edwards both earned Big South Preseason honors. Curran was named Big South Preseason Player of the Year after leading the team in scoring last season (17.7 points/game) while Edwards earned Big South Preseason Second Team recognition. Edwards also garnered the Becky Hammond Mid-Major Player of the Year Award after she posted the fifth-highest scoring average in the Big South with a total of 14.6 points per game.