GAME INFO

Friday, February 19 -- vs. Hampton (Millis Center, High Point, N.C.), 2 p.m.
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Saturday, February 20 -- vs. Hampton (Millis Center, High Point, N.C.), 2 p.m.
Live Stats | Watch | Game Notes
 
The High Point University women's basketball team (16-5, 14-2 Big South) returns to the Millis Center for its first home games of February when the Hampton University Lady Pirates (4-9, 4-7 Big South) visit for a pair of games this Friday (Feb. 19) and Saturday (Feb. 20).
 

Matchup History

• High Point and Hampton have only met four times in HPU's history, with the Panthers taking all four.
• The second meeting between the two schools in 2019 was one for the record books as the teams combined for 202 points - the most combined points in a game in High Point's history.
• HPU scored 104 points in that game, the fifth-most in its Division I history and the second-most the Purple and White have put up in a Big South contest.

 

Across the Bench

• Hampton is 4-9 on the season and has played just one game so far in the month of February - a 53-42 loss to Radford on Tuesday evening, after having to shut down for two weeks due to COVID-19.
• All four of the Lady Pirates' wins have come in conference play, getting victories over Gardner-Webb, USC Upstate, Winthrop, and Radford.
• Hampton is one of the most disciplined teams in the conference, committing the second-fewest fouls in the Big South and the second-fewest turnovers - just 188 turnovers to sit 45th in the country.
• Combined with forcing an average of 19.85 turnovers per game for second in the conference and 31st in the nation, HU's turnover margin of 5.38 is in the top-20 of all of Division I.
• Nylah Young is a do-it-all player for the Lady Pirates leading the team in scoring (12.9 PPG) and rebounding (6.3 RPG). She's the only Hampton Hooper in double digits on the season and has scored 15 or more in two of her last three games.
• Freshman Victoria Davis is the lead distributor for the Lady Pirates, totaling 48 assists on the season for an average of 3.7 helpers each contest.

 

Panther Notes

Last Time Out

High Point is coming off its second consecutive road series sweep, this time picking up two wins against Radford over the weekend. Friday's 103-point performance was the third-most by a Panthers' team in a Big South game in the program's D1 history and the 30-point margin of victory was the second-largest for HPU this season. After scoring 108 points earlier this season, High Point has now had multiple 100-point games in two of its last three seasons. 
 

Player of the Week Sweep on Repeat

For the second time in as many weeks, High Point swept the Big South weekly honors with Skyler Curran and Claire Wyatt winning Player and Freshman of the Week, respectively, for the second straight time. HPU is the only team to sweep the honors multiple times this season. 
 

No Place Like Home

After playing six straight road games, the Panthers return to the Millis Center for the first time in 34 days to host Hampton this weekend. The 34-days are the third longest-stretch in program history without a home game. HPU heads into the weekend boasting a 7-3 record at home, most recently defeating Gardner-Webb 75-71 in the Millis Center on Jan. 16. 
 

Ball Security

Friday's five turnovers against Radford were tied for the fewest in D1 program history and are the fewest committed against another Division I program in team history. High Point's 13.7 turnovers per game are the fewest in the Big South and 46th in the country. Jordan Edwards has led the offense while turning the ball over zero times in three of the last four games for the Panthers.
 

Deft Distribution

Not only did HPU only turn the ball over five times in Friday's win, but the Panthers also racked up 20 assists as a team, the fifth time the Purple and White have dished out 20 assists this season and the ninth time they've done that under head coach Chelsea Banbury. Coupled with the five turnovers, the team's assist to turnover ratio of 4.0 on Friday is the second-best in a single game in program history.
 

Nifty Fifty

Saturday was Banbury's 50th game at the helm of the Panthers, compiling a 32-18 record in the half-century of contests. That's the most wins in a head coach's first 50 games in High Point's D1 history and the third-most wins through 50 games among all 10 coaches in program history.
 

Bracketology Breakdown

Both ESPN and College Sports Madness currently have High Point slated as a 15 seed in their bracketology projections. ESPN has the Panthers taking on Texas A&M while College Sports Madness forecasts HPU taking on Baylor. The entirety of the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament will take place in San Antonio, Texas with first round games on March 21 and 22.
 

Road Warriors

With back-to-back road sweeps, the Panthers have now won nine Big South games away from home - the most in program history. The .900 conference road winning percentage is also the best in HPU's D1 history while the lone loss is the fewest since joining the conference in 1999.
 

TGIF 

After picking up the 103-73 against Radford on Friday (Feb. 12), the Panthers are now 4-0 this season on the last day of the workweek.
 

Walk the Plank!

HPU went 5-0 against swashbuckling opponents last season, sweeping the conference series with the Hampton Lady Pirates and the Charleston Southern Buccaneers and picking up a non-conference win over the East Tennessee State Buccaneers. With this year's sweep of Charleston Southern, the Panthers are now 7-0 against such foes under Banbury. Dating back to her time as a player and assistant coach at Florida Gulf Coast, head Banbury is now 22-3 all-time against swashbuckling foes.
 

Big Number Bonanza

The Panthers' 88 points against Charleston Southern (Feb. 5) were the third-most scored in a game for HPU this season and the second-most against a Division I opponent on the 2020-21 schedule. It was the 20th time the Purple and White have put up 85+ points in a Big South Conference game while the 23-point margin of victory is tied for the third-largest this season and was the 50th time HPU has beaten a conference opponent by 20 points or more.
 

DECAdent Dishes

Jordan Edwards had a career-high 10 assists earlier this season against Charleston Southern (Feb. 5), becoming the first player in the Big South to register double-digit assists in a single game this season. Edwards became the first Panther to accomplish this feat since Camryn Brown dealt out 10 helpers against North Carolina Central last season and enters the weekend in the top-15 in total assists in all of Division I (101).
 

8-0 with Four in Double Digits

Friday's win against Radford marked the eighth time that HPU has had four players score in double digits in the same game when Curran, Wyatt, Cydney Johnson, Jordan Edwards, and Callie Scheier crossed the 10-point threshold. All eight times that the Purple and White have had four scorers in double digits have resulted in wins, with an average winning margin of 19.8.
 

Double-Digit Delight

HPU's win against Charleston Southern (Feb. 5) marked the 50th time Curran has scored in double digits in her career. She enters the weekend with 53 after scoring in double digits in both games against Radford.
 

Conquering the Commonwealth

Coach Banbury now holds a 5-1 record in the state of Virginia after picking up a sweep over Radford last weekend and wins at Longwood, Hampton, and Radford a season ago. Her lone loss came early in her first season at the helm in a non-conference matchup at Norfolk State.
 

The 1K Club

Curran became just the 14th player in HPU's Division I history of women's basketball to join the 1,000-point club and the second in as many years after crossing the milestone earlier this season at Presbyterian (Jan. 23). She enters this weekend with 1,094 points to her name to sit in 10th place on High Point's D1 scoring list and is 26 points away from 9th place. Curran also entered the season in eighth place on HPU's career three-point list and is now in fourth place with 204 to her name.
 

A Better EDucation 

Jordan and Jenson Edwards are both in the top-five in the Big South in three different assist categories. Jordan is leading the conference in assist to turnover ratio (2.35), is tied for the conference lead in total assists (101), and is second in assists per game (5.0). Jenson is third in the conference in assist to turnover ratio (1.84) and total assists (79) and is fifth in assists per game (3.8). Nationally Jordan is in the top-50 in all three categories, including 10th in total assists.
 

Raining Buckets

High Point's 19 makes on 47 attempts from beyond the arc against Presbyterian (Jan. 22) were the most makes and attempts from three this season for the Panthers and were the second-most makes and most three-point attempts in HPU's Division I history. Nationally, the 19 makes are tied for the second-most in a single game across all of Division I this season while the 47 attempts are the third-most.
 

Went Streaking

High Point made history on Jan. 22 by winning its 10th game in a row, the longest winning streak since the program made the jump to Division I in 1999. At the time of losing it the following day, the streak was tied for the 11th-longest active winning streak in all of Division I women's basketball. The win on the 22nd also marked the fifth consecutive win on the road and the eighth straight conference win away from home - both tying Division I program records.
 

Saturday Scaries

HPU is now 4-2 on Saturdays this season, with both conference losses occurring on the first day of the weekend.
 

They're Free for a Reason

HPU went 24-29 from the free-throw line over the two games last weekend, including a perfect 15-15 effort on Friday to keep its average at the stripe at 77.2% on the season - the second-highest in the Big South and 20th in the country. The Panthers have made a total of 278 shots from the line this season for the conference lead and sit 19th in D1.
 

SHOOTER!

Curran is the best in the conference and 38th in the country in three-point percentage, making 41.9% percent of her shots from behind the arc.
 

Thanks, Captain Obvious

While it may seem obvious that you're more likely to win when you shoot better than the other team, High Point has yet to lose a game when it finishes with a better shooting percentage than its opponent. The Panthers are 16-0 when outshooting their opponents and are 0-5 when the opponent fills it up better than HPU.
 

Letting it Fly...

After breaking the program record for three-pointers made in a single season last year, the Panthers continue to fire from deep, entering Friday second in the country for three-pointers attempted, three-pointers made, and three-pointers per game. HPU has made a total of 224 long balls on the year in 620 attempts for an average of 10.7 per game. The Purple and White sit atop the conference and 34th in the country in three-point percentage, making 36.1% of their shots from behind the arc.
 

...In a No-Fly Zone

High Point is one of the best teams in the country in defending the three-pointer, entering Friday leading the conference and in 10th place in all of Division I by allowing just 24.5% of opponent three-pointers to fall.
 
Three-Point Club Make Total: 224
 

Second-Half Shutdown

The Purple and White clamp down defensively when they enter the second half with a lead, entering Friday 13-1 when leading at halftime. The Panthers have yet to lose a conference game when leading at the break, going 11-0 with a halftime lead and coming from behind at halftime three times now after trailing at the half in both games against Gardner-Webb.
 

Smooth Shooting

HPU shot 54.8% in its win on Jan. 16, the best shooting percentage of the season and the best since the Panthers shot 57.4% against Radford on Feb. 18, 2015.
 

Painting a Picture

The Panthers don't outscore opponents in the paint often, but when they do they're usually successful. HPU enters this weekend 5-1 when winning the battle in the lane, with four of those wins coming in conference play.
 

Magic Number

70 seems to be the magic number for HPU's offense as the Panthers are 10-0 when scoring more than 70 points in games this season.
 

Everything Gets Better When the Sun Goes Down

HPU is 10-2 when playing games at night this season, including an 8-0 mark in Big South action once the sun has set.
 

Break Point(s)

High Point likes to push the tempo in transition and is 10-2 when the Purple and White score more fastbreak points than their opponents, including an 8-1 mark in conference play.
 

Seven Days a Week

High Point has played a game every day of the week this season and has picked up at least one win on each day.
 

Steph Curry or Skyler Curran?

Curran is in the top-five in the country for three-pointers made and attempted this season. She's thrown up 160 shots from behind the arc - the fourth-most in the country - and has connected on 67 of them, the third-most in Division I and most in the Big South.
 

Ball Movement

The Panthers lead the Big South in assist to turnover ratio, dishing out an average of 1.03 assists to each turnover. High Point also leads the conference in total assists and assists per game with 296 total helpers for an average of 14.1 each game. The 296 assists put the Purple and White in 26th in the country for total assists and the 14.1 assists per game ranks as the fifth-best average HPU has had in a single season in its D1 history.
 

You Don't Make It, She Takes It

Curran is second in the conference in defensive rebounds per game, snagging an average of 6.5 opponent misses off the glass per game.
 
 
Up Next: High Point finishes the regular season at home next week with a pair of games against Longwood. Thursday's game (Feb. 25) is designated as senior night, with the season finale scheduled for Friday (Feb. 26).
 
This women's basketball preview is presented by Beamer Tire and Auto.