GAME INFO

Thursday, March 11 -- vs. Gardner-Webb (Millis Center, High Point, N.C.), 6 p.m.
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The top-seeded High Point University women's basketball team (20-6, 17-3 Big South) continues its quest for the first conference tournament title in its Division I history when it hosts Gardner-Webb (11-12, 10-7 Big South) in the semifinals of the Hercules Tires Big South Women's Basketball Tournament Thursday evening (March 11) in the Millis Center.
 

Matchup History

• Thursday will be the 35th meeting between High Point and Gardner-Webb, with HPU holding a 21-13 advantage in the series.
• The Panthers took both games in the series this season, winning the first game 70-59 before eeking out a 75-71 victory in game two.
• The teams have met in the postseason twice before, with each team winning once.
• Both of those meetings have come in the Big South semifinals, with The Runnin' Bulldogs winning 80-76 in 2009 and the Purple and White taking the rematch in 2015, 56-53 - the last semifinal victory for High Point.

 

Across the Bench

• Gardner-Webb finished the regular season 10-12, with all 10 of its wins coming in conference play for a 10-7 mark in Big South action.
• That was good enough for the No. 4 seed in the 2021 Hercules Tires Big South Women's Basketball Tournament.
• GWU hosted Presbyterian Monday evening and took down the Blue Hose 66-62 to advance to the semifinals for the fifth time in program history and first since that 2015 loss to HPU.
• Gardner-Webb is one of the best teams at forcing turnovers in the country, entering the semifinals ranked fifth in the nation in total steals with 263 and seventh in the country with an average of 21.95 turnovers forced per game.
• Three players average double-digits for the Runnin' Bulldogs, led by High Point native Lauren Bevis with an average of 12.9 points per game.
• Behind her are Jhessyka Williams at 12.7 PPG and Big South Freshman of the Year Alasia Smith at 11.4. Smith is the team's leading rebounder, grabbing an average of 8.3 boards each game.
• Williams is a big reason GWU is so highly ranked in steals, entering the semifinals 11th in the country in total steals and 14th in steals per game. Smith is also high on the steal leaderboards, entering Thursday 28th in the nation in total steals and 40th in steals per game.

 

Panther Notes

Last Time Out

High Point advanced to the 2021 Hercules Tires Big South Women's Basketball Tournament semifinals with an 85-63 victory over USC Upstate Monday night (March 8). Junior guard Skyler Curran led the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double this season and 10th of her career. Also scoring in double-digits were Jenson Edwards with 21, Callie Scheier with 13, and Claire Wyatt with 12 points.
 

Conference Champs!

Before the Longwood series, High Point clinched its third Big South regular-season championship and first since 2014, ending the season with a 17-3 mark in conference play.
 

Cream of the Conference

On Friday (March 5), junior guard Skyler Curran was named the Big South Women's Basketball Player of the Year, the second year in a row that HPU has had the Player of the Year. Curran finished the regular season second in the conference in scoring average and leading the way in total points with 446, the 18th-most in the country.
 

Elite Company

Monday was the 20th victory on the season for the Purple and White, the sixth time HPU has hit the 20-win mark in its Division I history and the 16th time overall since the program started in 1967. High Point became just the 18th team in all of Division I to win 20 games this season, joining the likes of women's basketball powerhouses Stanford, UConn, South Carolina, and Maryland, among others.
 

Tourney Time

HPU is now 19-20 all-time in the Big South Tournament after winning in the quarterfinals on Monday and has yet to win a tournament title. The Panthers only have three wins since falling in the 2015 championship game, picking up its first win in three years on Monday over USC Upstate. High Point is 3-2 as the No. 1 seed, losing in the quarterfinals in 2007 before falling in the championship game in 2014, both times to Winthrop, before beating the Spartans earlier this week.
 

A Season to Remember

Entering the semifinals on Thursday, the 2020-21 campaign for HPU is poised to set multiple team single-season records. The Panthers' scoring average of 73.0 points per game, field goal percentage of 42.9%, three-point percentage of 36.5%, and free throw percentage of 75.5% are all currently program records, while High Point's assists per game average of 14.6 is currently the third-best in team history.
 

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 197 shots from behind the arc - the third-most in the country - and has connected on 84 of them, the fourth-most in Division I and most in the Big South.
 

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. 
 

Banbury: Big South's Best Bench Boss

Head coach Chelsea Banbury was rewarded for leading HPU to its third conference title this season by being named the Big South's Coach of the Year. The 17 wins in conference play are the third-most any Big South school has won in the conference's history. Banbury became the fifth HPU coach to win the award and the first since 2014.
 

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 the semifinals second in the country for three-pointers attempted, three-pointers made, and in three-pointers per game. HPU has made a total of 272 long balls on the year in 751 attempts for an average of 10.5 per game. The Purple and White sit atop the conference and 26th in the country in three-point percentage, making 36.5% 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 the semifinals leading the conference and in fifth place in all of Division I by allowing just 24.5% of opponent three-pointers to fall.
 
Three-Point Club Make Total: 272
 

Sky is a Bucket

Curran is in the midst of one of the best seasons in HPU's D1 history scoring-wise, entering the semifinals with 471 total points for an average of 18.1 per game. Her 471 points are currently the ninth-most in a single season while her average tops the Panthers' D1 record book. Curran currently holds the eight-spot on the total point leaderboard after putting up 490 last season, which would make her one of two Panthers to be in the top-10 for point totals in a single season along with HPU's D1 scoring leader Kaylah Keys, who is currently in the top-10 three times (first, ninth, and 10th).
 

A Better EDucation 

Jordan Edwards and Jenson Edwards are both in the top-five in the Big South in three different assist categories. Jordan leads the conference in assist to turnover ratio (2.3) and is second in total assists (129) and assists per game (5.2). Jenson is third in the conference in total assists (103) and is fourth in assist to turnover ratio (1.9), and assists per game (4.0). Nationally Jordan is 30th in assists per game and 14th in total assists.
 

Blowout City

Monday's 22-point victory over Upstate in the quarterfinals was an astounding 10th victory of more than 20 points for the Purple and White this season. This is the first year in HPU's D1 history that the Panthers have won double-digit games by more than 20 points, while High Point's scoring margin of 10.8 points is the best in program history and 39th in the country.
 

Hoop Half-Full Kind of Team

The Panthers shot 54.1% in the win on Monday, the second-highest shooting percentage for HPU this season and the sixth time shooting 50% or better on the season. High Point only accomplished that feat once last year and this campaign marks the most games shooting 50% or better since the 2016-17 season when the Purple and White did it seven times. Additionally, it was the 17th time this season that High Point has shot above 40% in a game, all 17 of which have been wins.
 

Hey Now, You're All-Conference

Curran's award made her a First Team All-Conference selection, one of two All-Conference citations High Point received. The other was a Second Team All-Conference nod to redshirt sophomore Jenson Edwards. Edwards finished fifth in the conference in scoring and reached the double-digit mark in all but five games this season.
 

So Fresh and So Clean

A pair of freshmen also received year-end recognition from the Big South as Wyatt and Cydney Johnson were both named to the All-Freshman team. Wyatt took home four Big South Freshman of the Week awards over the course of the season, the second-most this year and fourth-most in HPU history, while Johnson added one weekly award.
 

History Made

With the win over Longwood in the first game of the series, High Point set a program record for the most wins the Purple and White have had in conference play in a single season since joining Division I with 17. With 20 total wins on the year, the Panthers are only two wins away from matching their D1 record for wins of 22, set in 2013 and matched in 18-19.
 

Thanks for the Memories, Millis

Each game the Panthers play could be the final basketball game played at the historic Millis Center as HPU will move into the brand-new Qubein Arena beginning next season. High Point has enjoyed plenty of success in the Millis Center since it opened in 1992, racking up a total of 280 wins in 392 total games for a .714 winning percentage in the building. The Mills Center has seen 25 winning seasons at home out of a possible 29 and will host its 16th Big South Tournament game on Thursday.
 

Win the Boards, Win the Game

High Point outrebounded USC Upstate 46-31 on Monday, the 10th time HPU has grabbed more rebounds than its opponent. The Panthers are 9-1 in those 10 games, and Monday's win was the first time High Point has outrebounded its opponent by double-digits this season, something it accomplished three times last season.
 

Playing to Completion

High Point was able to play the maximum of 25 games in the regular season, getting every scheduled game in throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. Not every team was as lucky, as the Panthers are one of just 19 teams to have played at least 26 games in all of Division I this season heading into Friday.
 

Multiple Half-Century Milestones

Multiple members of the Purple and White have either crossed the 50-game milestone or are approaching it as the season winds down. Scheier played in her 50th career game in the regular-season finale against Longwood while Courtney Meadows will look to hit the court for the 50th time on Thursday. Jenson Edwards is two games away and will hope to hit the half-century mark in the Big South Championship game, barring a win in the semifinals.
 

Final Seconds Frenzy

Curran's game-tying and game-winning free throws against Hampton 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.
 

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 13.5 turnovers per game are the fewest in the Big South and 48th-fewest in the country.
 

Deft Distribution

HPU totaled 20 assists in the win over Upstate, the sixth time the Panthers have dished out at least 20 assists in a game and the 10th such time under coach Banbury. High Point had 24 helpers in the win over Longwood two weeks ago, and coupled with the six turnovers, the 4.0 assist to turnover ratio is tied for the best this season and second-best 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 Maryland 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 sweeps to close out conference contests on the road, the Panthers 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.
 

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, later matching it in the win over Longwood. Edwards became the first Panther to accomplish this feat since Camryn Brown dealt out 10 helpers against North Carolina Central last season and enters Thursday in the top-15 in total assists in all of Division I with 129.
 

11-1 with Four in Double Digits

The Panthers had their 12th game of the season with at least four players in double-digits on Monday, improving to 11-1 when that situation happens, with the lone loss coming to Longwood in the final game of the regular season.
 

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 semifinals with 57 after putting up 25 on Upstate in the quarterfinals.
 

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 the semifinals with 1,184 points to her name to sit in ninth place on High Point's D1 scoring list, 17 away from eighth place. Curran also entered the season in eighth place on HPU's career three-point list and is now in fourth place with 217 to her name, nine away from third place.
 

They're Free for a Reason

HPU connects from the free-throw line at a great rate, hitting 75.5% of its free throws, second in the conference and 39th in the country. The Panthers have made a total of 342 shots from the line this season, the most in the Big South and 22nd-most in the nation.
 

SHOOTER!

Curran is the best in the conference and 24th in the country in three-point percentage, making 42.6% 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 20-0 when outshooting their opponents and are 0-6 when the opponent fills it up better than HPU.
 

Second-Half Shutdown

The Purple and White clamp down defensively when they enter the second half with a lead, entering the semifinals 17-1 when leading at halftime. The Panthers did not lose a conference game when leading at the break, going 14-0 with a halftime lead and coming from behind at halftime three times 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.
 

Ball Movement

The Panthers lead the Big South in assist to turnover ratio, dishing out an average of 1.08 assists to each turnover. High Point also leads the conference in total assists and assists per game with 379 total helpers for an average of 14.6 each game, 83 assists more than the next closest Big South school, Longwood. The 379 assists put the Purple and White 24th in the country for total assists and the 14.6 assists per game ranks as the third-best average HPU has had in a single season in its D1 history.
 
Up Next: The winner of Thursday's game will advance to the 2021 Hercules Tires Big South Women's Basketball Championship game on Sunday (March 14) against either Campbell or Longwood.
 
This women's basketball preview is presented by Beamer Tire and Auto.