The High Point University men's basketball team will play its first regular-season home game in the Qubein Center on the opening night of college basketball Monday, November 7th against Pfeiffer. The Panthers welcome the Falcons after hosting an exhibition match-up against Bridgewater on Saturday in front of an HPU homecoming crowd. The game against Pfeiffer is slated for 8:00 PM and will start following the conclusion of the women's game against Davison.
Game InfoÂ
Monday, Nov. 7 -- VS Pfeiffer (Qubein Center) 8:00 PM on ESPN+
Live Stats | Watch |  Game Notes
Last Time Out
High Point hosted their exhibition home opener at the Qubein Center on homecoming weekend, facing off against Bridgewater College for the first time in program history on Saturday, November 5th. The Panthers rocked the house with a high scoring game, defeating the Eagles 100-61. Junior returner
Jaden House and Minnesota transfer
Abdoulaye Thiam combined for 45 points on the night, knocking down 15-of-24 shots from the field. Overall, the team shot 50.7% from the field and handed out 20 assists, led by senior guard,
Bryant Randleman with eight. In
Ahmard Harvey, the transfer from Coastal Carolina's HPU debut, he led the team in rebounds, bringing down 11 of the team's 48.Â
Across the Bench
The Falcons finished the 2021-22 season with an overall record of 12-11 and a conference record of 9-5 in the USA South Athletic Conference (USAS). Pfeiffer finished third overall in the USAS east division regular season play before ending their postseason play in the first round of the USAS tournament to N.C. Wesleyan, 69-81.
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The Falcons return two from the 2021-22 season's starting five, including Taylan Rowe, a graduate student, and Dorian Miles, a junior. Both Rowe and Miles averaged just over 11 points per game last season, with Miles being named to the east division second team All-Conference. On the defensive end, Miles led the team with 158 rebounds, to average 7.2 per game.
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Pfeiffer is coached by Pete Schoch, a graduate from Michigan, who enters his fifth season as the head coach after taking over at the helm in 2018. Schoch has a combined record of 44-40, and led his team to the first USAS postseason play in 2022 since becoming NCAA postseason eligible after transitioning to division III in 2017.
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Panther Notes
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 sharp shooter 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."
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Mr. AustinÂ
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.
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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 in San Juan Capistrano, California.
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