GAME INFO

Sunday, March 14 -- vs. Campbell (Millis Center, High Point, N.C.), 2 p.m.
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The High Point University women's basketball team (21-6, 17-3 Big South) looks for its first Big South Tournament title on Sunday (March 14) with a matchup against Campbell (16-6, 11-4 Big South) in the championship of the Hercules Tires Big South Women's Basketball Tournament.
 

Matchup History

• Sunday will be the 33rd overall matchup between High Point and Campbell in HPU's Division I history and the third meeting between the two in the Big South Tournament.
• The teams split the first two meetings in the postseason, playing them in back-to-back years. The Fighting Camels edged the Purple and White in overtime, 74-73 in the quarterfinals of the tournament in 2013 before the Panthers took revenge in the semifinals a year later, 73-69.
• High Point swept the season series in the Millis Center this season back in early January, winning game one 63-55 and game two 73-67 to start the new calendar year.

 

Across the Bench

• Campbell finished the regular season with a 14-6 record and 11-4 mark in conference play to earn the No. 2 seed in the 2021 Hercules Tires Big South Women's Basketball Tournament.
• The Fighting Camels are playing in their second championship game in the last three years and are looking for their second Big South title, after winning in 1989.
• Campbell has one of the best defenses in the country, entering Sunday ranked sixth in the nation in scoring defense, only allowing opponents to score an average of 51.9 points each game. CU's field goal defense is also one of the best nationally, ranked 14th in Division I at 34.8%.
• Three players average double-digits for Campbell, led by Second Team All-Conference selection Taya Bolden at 12.0. Bolden also leads the team in rebounding, nearly averaging a double-double with 9.5 rebounds per game.
• Right behind Bolden in scoring is First Team All-Conference selection Shy Tulle with 11.7 PPG and Luana Serranho with 10.2 PPG.
• Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year Lauren McNamara Clement is one of the best interior defenders in the conference, entering Sunday's title game with 40 blocks for an average of 1.82 per game, both second in the Big South and in the top 60 of the country.

 

Panther Notes

Last Time Out

High Point advanced to the 2021 Hercules Tires Big South Women's Basketball Tournament championship with a 75-58 victory over Gardner-Webb Thursday evening (March 11). Four different Panthers scored in double digits for the fourth game in a row, led in the semifinals by freshman Claire Wyatt with 17. Cydney Johnson matched her career-high with 16 points and Skyler Curran and Jenson Edwards dropped in 15 and 14, respectively.
 

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.
 

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 204 shots from behind the arc - the third-most in the country - and has connected on 87 of them, the fourth-most in Division I, most in the Big South, and the most in a single season in HPU history.
 

SHOOTER!

Curran is the best in the conference and 21st in the country in three-point percentage, making 42.6% of her shots from behind the arc.
 

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 Sunday in the top-15 in total assists in all of Division I with 133.
 

A Better EDucation 

Jordan 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 (2.2) and is second in total assists (133) and assists per game (5.1). Jenson is third in the conference in total assists (109) and is fourth in assist to turnover ratio (2.0), and assists per game (4.0). Nationally, Jordan is 14th in total assists, 30th in assists per game, and 39th in assist to turnover ratio.
 

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 284 long balls on the year in 284 attempts for an average of 10.5 per game. The Purple and White sit atop the conference and 20th in the country in three-point percentage, making 36.8% 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 championship leading the conference and in ninth place in all of Division I by allowing just 25.3% of opponent three-pointers to fall.

Three-Point Club Make Total: 284 
 

Ball Movement

The Panthers lead the Big South in assist to turnover ratio, dishing out an average of 1.06 assists to each turnover. High Point also leads the conference in total assists and assists per game with 397 total helpers for an average of 14.7 each game, 96 assists more than the next closest Big South school, Longwood. The 397 assists put the Purple and White 20th in the country for total assists and the 14.7 assists per game ranks as the third-best average HPU has had in a single season in its D1 history.
 

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, and are one of just 15 teams in the country to have 21 wins entering Sunday, joining the likes of women's basketball powerhouses Stanford, UConn, South Carolina, and Maryland, among others.
 

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 14 teams to have played at least 27 games in all of Division I this season heading into Sunday. With still at least one game to go, HPU will be one of just five teams in the country to play 28 games before the beginning of the NCAA Tournament.
 

They're Free for a Reason

HPU connects from the free-throw line at a great rate, hitting 75.4% of its free throws, second in the conference and 41st in the country. The Panthers have made a total of 355 shots from the line this season, the most in the Big South and 21st-most in the nation.
 

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 60th-fewest in the country.
 
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 third-most in a single game across all of Division I this season while the 47 attempts are tied for the sixth-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.
 

Scoring on the Camels

The Panthers put up 73 points on Campbell in the second game between the two, the second-most points the Fighting Camels have given up all season. The 63 points in the first game are the fourth-most CU has surrendered this year, with the 136 combined points being the most points any Big South opponent put up on Campbell in a two-game series this season.
 

1 vs. 2

This is just the 15th time that the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have met in the Big South Tournament championship in the league's 35-year history. The top two teams haven't met since 2016, with the No. 1 seed holding a 10-4 advantage in the first 14, including winning each of the last two meetings.
 

Title Dreams

High Point is looking for its first Big South Tournament title in its sixth appearance, having lost the previous five trips to the final. The Panthers have only made it to the championship game as the top seed once before, losing to Winthrop in 2014. HPU has only played one other team in the tournament championship, playing Liberty in the other four.
 

Record from Deep

HPU enters Sunday's championship with 22 three-pointers in the first two games of the tournament, needing only 10 more to set the tournament record. With 12 triples in the quarterfinals and 10 in the semifinals, the Purple and White became the first team in the tournament's history to make double-digit three-pointers in consecutive games.
 

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.
 

Tourney Time

HPU is now 20-20 all-time in the Big South Tournament after winning in the semifinals on Thursday, with the two wins this year the first twins in the tournament for the Purple and White since the 2018 season.
 

A Season to Remember

Entering the championship on Sunday, the 2020-21 campaign for HPU is poised to set multiple team single-season records. The Panthers' scoring average of 73.1 points per game, field goal percentage of 43.2%, three-point percentage of 36.8%, and free throw percentage of 75.4% are all currently program records, while High Point's assists per game average of 14.7 is currently the third-best in team history.
 

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.
 

Sky is a Bucket

Curran is in the midst of one of the best seasons in HPU's D1 history scoring-wise, entering the championship with 486 total points for an average of 18.0 per game. Her 486 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).
 

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 1,199 points to her name to sit in ninth place on High Point's D1 scoring list, two 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 224 to her name, six away from third place.
 

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 51% in the win on Thursday, the seventh 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 as many times. Additionally, it was the 18th time this season that High Point has shot above 40% in a game, all 18 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 Claire 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 21 total wins on the year, the Panthers are only one win away from matching their D1 record for wins of 22, set in 2013 and matched in 18-19.
 

Thanks for the Memories, Millis

Sunday will 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 281 wins in 393 total games for a .715 winning percentage in the building. The Mills Center has seen 25 winning seasons at home out of a possible 29 and will host its 17th Big South Tournament game on Sunday.
 

It's Bo Time Y'all

This year marks the final year of the Hercules Tires Big South Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments being hosted on campus sites for the foreseeable future as the conference reached an agreement with Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte to host both tournaments there beginning next year.
 

Qubein Arena

Next season the Panthers will play their inaugural season in the Qubein Arena and Conference Center, which will feature a 4,200-seat sports arena, a plush conference center, meeting space for up to 2,500 people, and a luxury boutique hotel.
 
 
Up Next: The winner of Sunday's championship game will earn the Big South's automatic bid into the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in San Antonio, Texas, with first-round games starting on March 21-22. The team will find out their fate on Selection Monday (March 15) live on ESPN at 7 p.m.
 
This women's basketball preview is presented by Beamer Tire and Auto.