BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – In a hard fought battle, the High Point University women's basketball team fell to preseason Big South co-favorite Gardner-Webb, 67-61.
Skyler Curran led the Panthers with 16 points while
Callie Scheier chipped in 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
Nakyah Terrell also finished in double figures with 11 points and a team-high six rebounds.
Site: Porter Arena
Score: High Point 61, Gardner-Webb 67
Records: High Point (3-9, 1-1), Gardner-Webb (10-4, 2-0)
Both teams struggled to find their offensive rhythm in the first quarter, but HPU scored on back-to-back possessions as
Jordan Edwards dumped off a pass under the basket to
Jenson Edwards before
Callie Scheier knocked down a three-pointer from the corner to give High Point the 5-3 lead. After GWU made a layup,
Nakyah Terrell took the ball to the hoop for two points to take back the lead with less than five minutes remaining in the period.
Skyler Curran found Terrell on the give-and-go under the basket for an easy layup before Curran buried triple in the final minute of the opening quarter.
After an early three-pointer from the Runnin' Bulldogs, the Panthers responded with 7-0 run with baskets from Terrell,
Shakira Baskerville, and capped off with a
Jenson Edwards three-point play. Curran added her second triple of the afternoon with 5:20 remaining in the half to give High Point the 21-15 lead.
Following a 4-0 run from GWU, Terrell posted five points on consecutive possessions to take back the four-point lead. With the clock winding down, Scheier knocked down her second triple of the night to help HPU take a 29-25 lead into halftime. The Panthers shot 40 percent from the floor in the half and held the Runnin' Bulldogs to under 30 percent on field goals and forcing 12 turnovers.
Both Edwards made field goals on back-to-back possessions midway through the third quarter, Jenson sinking her first triple of the afternoon before Jordan made a layup to take a 35-32 lead with 6:39 remaining in the period. HPU had consecutive baskets a minute later from
Jordan Edwards and Baskerville, holding onto the five-point lead.
While Gardner-Webb tied the game at 39-39, a pullup jumper from
Jordan Edwards and Scheier's third three-pointer gave the Panthers the lead back. But the Runnin' Bulldogs closed the quarter on a 7-0 lead to take a 46-44 lead into the final quarter.
After a Curran made layup to open the fourth quarter, GWU used a 7-2 run to break open a 53-48 lead. The sole Panther basket in the stretch was
Lalmani Simmons' layup with 7:09 remaining. Another Curran triple cut the deficit to two points, but GWU scored the next four to hold the 57-51 lead at the media timeout.
With the Runnin' Bulldogs holding a nine-point advantage, Scheier and Curran knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to cut the lead back down to three points with 2:38 remaining. Four made free throws and another layup from GWU pushed the deficit back to eight with 21 seconds remaining until Curran hit her fourth triple of the night to bring HPU back within 66-61, but the Panthers were held scoreless the rest of the way.
Up Next: High Point stays on the road, traveling to UNC Asheville on Wednesday to continue Big South play. Tip-off in Asheville is set for 6:30 p.m.
#H3U x #GoHPU
