High Point to Play in SoCal Challenge Sand Division Championship

Men's Basketball November 22, 2022 Kadie Snipes

High Point to Play in SoCal Challenge Sand Division Championship

The High Point University men's basketball team will tip-off at 2:30 PM PST (5:30 PM EST) in San Juan Capistrano, California for the SoCal Challenge Sand Division Championship against the Tigers of Tennessee State on Wednesday, November 23rd. This will be the first meeting between the Panthers and Tigers.

Game Info
Wednesday, Nov. 23 -- VS Tennessee State (Jserra Catholic HS) 2:30 PM PST (5:30 PM EST) on Flosports
Live Stats | Watch | Game Notes

Last Time Out
High Point defeated Central Michigan on Monday night taking it down to the wire in the final seconds to win 68-67. Four of the Panthers five starters finished the game with double digits, led by Jaden House with 26. Emmanuel Izunabor got it done for the Panthers on the boards, leading the team with 12, tabbing a new career-high. High Points 18-0 between the first and second half put the team back in the game, gaining 14 points off turnovers, 15 points off second chance rebounds and 23 points in fast breaks. The Panthers out rebounded the Chippewas, 47-35.

Across the Bench
Tennessee State has an overall record of 4-1 after defeating CSun in the first day of the SoCal Challenge Sand Division, 74-73. The one-point win in the final seconds of play was led by Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. who tabbed 17 points, five assists and four rebounds. Jr. Clay and Adong Makuoi added double digits in scoring with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Fitzgerald Jr. leads the team in scoring, averaging 19.3 points per game, shooting 51.0% from the field and 43.3% from the three. Zion Griffin leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7.0 per game, one of three players to collect four rebounds in the game against CSun.

As a team, Tennessee State is shooting 44.4% from the field, 35.4% from behind the arc and 68.1% from the free throw line, averaging 73.8 points per game. The team averages 37 rebounds, 6.4 steals and 4.4 blocks. The Tigers have also been averaging 13.6 turnovers per game but collect 11.8 points off turnovers.

Tennessee State is coached by Brian "Penny" Collins, a graduate of Belmont, who enters his fifth season with the Tigers. During the 2021-22 season, Collins led Tennessee State to an overall record of 14-18 with a conference record of 8-10 in the OVC. Making it to the OVC Tournament, the team lost out in the Quarterfinals to SEMO, 55-79.

Panther Notes

First Mid-American Conference Win
For the first time in program history, HPU defeated a team from the MAC conference. The only other MAC team that High Point has competed against was Western Michigan twice.

House remains in the Top 20 in scoring
Averaging 22.8 points per game, Jaden House slides in at 16th overall in the country in scoring.

House's 30-Piece Records New Career-High
After recording a career-high 23 against the Falcons, House blew that out the water with a 33-point game on Saturday. House shot 66.7% from the field and 91.7% from the line. After Saturday's performance, House stated "We have a lot of guys that can come in and score points, and I guess tonight was just my night."

Back-to-Back Double Digits for House
For the second consecutive game, House dropped another 20+ point game. He shot 8-for-10 from the field and 2-for-4 from behind the arc to tab 23 points. Adding to his stats, he collected one offensive rebound, one assist and one steal.

Special Guest Harry Giles III
Winston-Salem native, Harry Giles III made a guest appearance at Monday night's game. The former Duke Blue Devil and NBA 1st round draft pick cheered on the Panthers in their 109-71 victory and mingled with the team after the game.

Thiam Drops 23 in Debut
Abdoulaye Thiam kicked off his High Point career with a bang, dropping 23 points, two rebounds and one assist. The sharpshooter went 8-for-15 from and field and knocked down 3-of-6 shots from behind the arc. The Minnesota transfer wowed the crowd with his high-flying windmill dunk early in the first half. After Saturday's performance Thiam stated, "It felt really great because I did not have this opportunity where I was at so having a team that trust in me, that knows what I can do, and just come in and play and allows me to be me, made it a good experience."

Mr. Austin
Zack Austin was named to the Big South Preseason First Team. Following the 2021-22 season, Austin was named the Big South Freshman of the year while also being named to the second team all-conference selection. A key player for the Panthers, Austin started all 32 games and averaged 14.4 points per game, shooting 41.4% from the field. He contributed on the defensive end by averaging 8.0 rebounds per game (1st in Big South) and collecting a team-high 69 blocks (3rd in Big South), averaging just over two per game. Along with blocks, Austin also led the team in steals, picking up 43 for the season (10th in Big South). Within the conference, Austin made the top 10 in seven different statistical categories, including scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, steals, 3-point field goals made, blocked shots and minutes played.

Non-Conference Play
High Point will play 13 non-conference games in total, seven of them taking place inside the beautiful Qubein Center and the other six occurring on the road. The Panther's farthest trip is to the west coast for the SoCal Challenge this week in San Juan Capistrano, California.