HIGH POINT N.C.- High Point men's basketball secured their first conference win of the year, defeating the Blue Hose of Presbyterian 63-56 in a big matchup at home Saturday night.
Coach
G.G. Smith- "Well it's about time. We thank the crowd and students, they definitely gave us a lot of energy throughout the game. I credit our guys, it has been a long few weeks here but they always came into practice with a great attitude. We are really excited about the win and happy to get a victory."
Abdoulaye Thiam opened the scoring for the Panthers with a bang, draining a three from the corner with just a few seconds left on the shot clock.
Jaden House started off his 18-point night dishing a sweet pass to
Emmanuel Izunabor for another bucket followed by a three for himself to keep the Panthers within single digits.
Two three-balls by
Sam Perez and
Bryson Childress began a nine-point run to give the Panthers their first lead of the game.
House led the half with ten points including a poster dunk that had the entire Qubein Center on their feet.
After trailing for most of the first half, High Point went into half time shooting over 50% with an 8-point lead over the Blue Hose.
Izunabor began the second-half scoring with a put-back off an offensive rebound.
Childress was a force on the defensive end, drawing an offensive early to re-gain possession.
Thiam kept the Panthers on top adding nine of his 16 total points from the stripe, drawing three shooting fouls outside of the three-point line.
Thiam then added another late off an assist from
Ahmard Harvey.
Presbyterian kept the pressure on late but High Point would come out victorious 63-56 and tally another in the win column after a long losing streak.
House ended the night as the top performer with 18 points, 3 assists, and 4 rebounds.
Up Next: High Point remains at home on Wednesday, January 18th, to host Winthrop in Big South conference action. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm.
