GAME INFO
Thursday, February 25 -- vs. Longwood (Millis Center, High Point, N.C.), 6 p.m.
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Game Notes
Friday, February 26 -- vs. Longwood (Millis Center, High Point, N.C.), 6 p.m.
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Game Notes
The High Point University women's basketball team (18-5, 16-2 Big South) finishes its regular season this week with a pair of games against Longwood University (12-9, 11-5 Big South) inside the Millis Center.
Thursday night (Feb. 25) is Senior Night for the Panthers, with
Miya Bull,
Chyna McMichel, and
Zaria Wright set to be honored before the game for their time in the Purple and White. Friday (Feb. 26), the Big South Regular-Season Championship trophy will be in the building as HPU has officially wrapped up its third championship in program history entering the series.
Matchup History
- High Point and Longwood have met 27 times since HPU joined Division I with the Panthers holding a dominant 22-5 lead in the series over the Lancers.
- Since Longwood joined the Big South, the Purple and White are 16-0 against the Lancers in conference play and enter with an 18-game winning streak over Longwood
- High Point has been extremely successful against the Lancers in the Millis Center, entering Thursday with a 13-2 record when playing Longwood at home.
Across the Bench
- Longwood comes to High Point sitting in third in the Big South with an 11-5 mark in conference play and a 12-0 overall record.
- Similar to High Point, Longwood boasts a strong and steady offense, averaging 71.9 points per game, second only to HPU in the conference. The Lancers are also the second-best shooting team in the Big South, shooting .399 from the field, not far behind High Point's conference-best .423 mark.
- Longwood is one of the best shot-blocking teams in the country, with 116 total blocks for an average of 5.5 each game to rank 11th and 15th in the country, respectively.
- Last year's Big South Freshman of the Year Kyla McMakin leads the way offensively for Longwood, averaging a conference-best 18.9 points per game while also grabbing 5.1 rebounds per game.
- Junior forward Akila Smith is another big contributor for the Lancers, averaging a double-double with a conference-leading 10.3 rebounds per game and 14.5 PPG. Smith is also one of the top shot blockers in the nation, averaging 3.57 blocks per game - the third-best average in the country.
- The Lancers' senior point guard Tra'Dayja Smith leads the over major offensive category in the Big South, averaging 5.4 assists per game.
Panther Notes
Last Time Out
High Point is coming off another Big South series sweep, its third in a row, this time against Hampton. The Panthers won handily, 79-55, on Friday (Feb. 19) with redshirt sophomore
Jenson Edwards leading the way with a career-high 22 points. HPU was tested by the Pirates on Saturday (Feb. 20), escaping with a 67-66 victory after junior
Skyler Curran knocked down the game-winning free throws in the final moments of the game. Redshirt sophomore
Courtney Meadows also contributed a career-high 18 points in Saturday's win.
Conference Champs
Given the Big South's 75%/25% rule, High Point has clinched the 2020-21 Big South Regular Season Championship and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. Seeding of teams is determined by the Ranking Index Formula with Conference winning percentage weighted at 75% and the percent of games played at 25%. With this formula, it is mathematically impossible for any other teams to catch High Point.
Thank You Seniors
On Thursday night, High Point will honor the three seniors that will be graduating and starting their careers this spring. Being recognized prior to the game will be graduate student
Miya Bull, senior
Chyna McMichel, and redshirt junior
Zaria Wright.
Lucky No. 7
With High Point's 2021 Conference Championship, the Purple & White have won their three conference championships every seven years since their first in 2007 - winning in 2007, 2014, and 2021.
On the Cusp of History
HPU enters Thursday with 16 Big South wins on the season, tied for the most wins the Purple and White have had in conference play in a single season since joining Division I. With 18 wins total on the year, the Panthers are only four wins away from matching their D1 record for wins of 22, set in 2013-14 and matched in 18-19.
Final Seconds Frenzy
Curran's game-tying and game-winning free throws on Saturday (Feb. 20) came with just five seconds left on the clock. This was the first time HPU has won a game in the final five seconds since
Camryn Brown hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to defeat Presbyterian in the Big South Tournament on March 9, 2018, and just the second time the Purple and White have won a game that late in the last five years.
Player of the Week Sweep on Repeat
On Feb. 15 for the second time in as many weeks, High Point swept the Big South weekly honors with 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 returned to the Millis Center for the first time in 34 days to host Hampton last weekend. The 34-days were the third longest-stretch in program history without a home game. HPU now holds a 9-3 record at home as it welcomes Longwood for its final regular-season home contests of the season.
Ball Security
The Panthers' five turnovers against Radford (Feb. 12) 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 13.8 turnovers per game are the fewest in the Big South and 54th in the country.
Jordan Edwards has led the offense while turning the ball over zero times in three of the last six games for the Panthers.
Deft Distribution
Not only did HPU only turn the ball over five times earlier this season against Radford (Feb. 12), 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 in the game is the second-best in a single game in program history.
Nifty Fifty
HPU's second win against Radford (Feb. 13) 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's most recent projection has the Panthers taking on N.C. State 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 before last weekend, the Panthers have 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 79-55 victory over Hampton on Friday (Feb. 19), the Panthers are now 5-0 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 sweeps of Charleston Southern and Hampton, the Panthers are now 9-0 against such foes under Banbury. Dating back to her time as a player and assistant coach at Florida Gulf Coast, head Banbury is now 24-3 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 (109).
8-0 with Four in Double Digits
The win against Radford (Feb. 12) 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 1,130 points to her name to sit in ninth place on High Point's D1 scoring list. Curran also entered the season in eighth place on HPU's career three-point list and is now in fourth place with 206 to her name, 20 away from third place.
A Better EDucation
Jordan and
Jenson Edwards are both in the top-five in the Big South in three different assist categories. Jordan is tied for the conference lead in assist to turnover ratio (2.1) and is second in total assists (109) and assists per game (5.0). Jenson is third in the conference in total assists (84), fourth in the conference in assist to turnover ratio (1.7), and is fifth in assists per game (3.6). Nationally Jordan is in the top-50 in assists per game and 11th 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 5-2 on Saturdays this season, with both conference losses occurring on the first day of the weekend.
They're Free for a Reason
HPU went 32-34 from the free-throw line over the two games last weekend to keep its average at the stripe at 76.7% on the season - the second-highest in the Big South and 25th in the country. The Panthers have made a total of 310 shots from the line this season for the conference lead and sit 16th in D1.
SHOOTER!
Curran is the best in the conference and 24th in the country in three-point percentage, making 42.9% 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 18-0 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 242 long balls on the year in 670 attempts for an average of 10.5 per game. The Purple and White sit atop the conference and 37th 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 7th place in all of Division I by allowing just 24.2% of opponent three-pointers to fall.
Three-Point Club Make Total: 242
Second-Half Shutdown
The Purple and White clamp down defensively when they enter the second half with a lead, entering Friday 15-1 when leading at halftime. The Panthers have yet to lose a conference game when leading at the break, going 13-0 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 6-1 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 11-0 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.
Curran is in the top-five in the country for three-pointers made and attempted this season. She's thrown up 171 shots from behind the arc - the third-most in the country - and has connected on 73 of them, also 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 1.01 assists to each turnover. High Point also leads the conference in total assists and assists per game with 322 total helpers for an average of 14.0 each game. The 322 assists put the Purple and White in 28th in the country for total assists and the 14.0 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 leads the conference in defensive rebounds per game, snagging an average of 6.5 opponent misses off the glass per game.
Up Next: By virtue of winning the conference, High Point has secured the No. 1 seed in the Big South Tournament and a first-round bye. The Panthers will be back in action again on March 8 in the quarterfinals of the tournament at the Millis Center.
This women's basketball preview is presented by Beamer Tire and Auto.
#GoHPU
