High Point, N.C. – For the second game in a row, the High Point University men's basketball team hosted a match up inside the Qubein Center, this time welcoming Morgan State University. In mid-week action the Panthers handled business with a 77-59 victory.
"With us playing three games last week, followed by a game here at home on Sunday," Head Coach
Alan Huss stated, "we had a lot of tired legs and trying to prepare for Morgan State's concepts the last couple of days required a great deal of mental toughness. We had to be dialed in mentally because we were not able to rep it out on the floor like we typically would. We were not quite as sharp as we wanted to be, we turned it over more than we wanted and we gave up some offensive rebounds which is a little uncharacteristic of us but we're thrilled to get a win against a really good team."
Site: Qubein Center
Score: High Point 77, Morgan State 59
Records: High Point (5-3), Morgan State (2-7)
From the jump, High Point took the lead and never lost it. By the end of the first half, the Panthers led by 14.
High Point shared the ball well amongst the team, dishing out 15 assists and allowing 10 different players to score.
Kimani Hamilton led the night with a double-double scoring 20 points with 10 rebounds to register his second double-double of the season. He added three assists, two steals and a block.
"The coaches have been working with me on using a shot fake more because shot fakes are really effective to the game," Hamilton commented. "I never really used it before I came here and the coaches have added it to my game and it has really helped me out."
Hamilton was able to earn almost half of his points from the free throw line going 7-for-10 which was a result from driving in and going up off two feet.
"He's such a great athlete," coach Huss added, "that sometimes when he doesn't get to the line he starts going a little fast and can get ridden out by defenses underneath him. It's a hard call for officials when he drives in because he's so much higher than the defense. When he shot fakes and slows down a little bit, he really has a chance to get to the line where he's an excellent free throw shooter."
Trae Benham followed with a season-high 15 points, five rebounds and two steals. Benham caught fire early, knocking down two transition threes to extend the Bears defense around the perimeter. This helped open up the lanes for drives from different guards, such as
Duke Miles,
Abdoulaye Thiam and Hamilton.
"Every time Trae shoots," Coach Huss stated, "every player in white expects it to go in and I think our fans will learn to do the same thing the more they see it go in."
A key factor in the success for the Panthers on defense was playing as a team and getting in the gaps to stop the Bears from driving. High Point held Morgan State to under 60 points scored which was the team's second time doing so this season.
Juslin Bodo Bodo buckled down and registered two blocks, swatting them into the stands. He also collected seven rebounds with four coming from the offensive glass for second chance opportunities.
In the second half, High Point extended their lead to 20 points with a three from Benham. With eight minutes left in regulation, Benham knocked down his fifth three of the night to put HPU up by 27.
At under three minutes to go,
Denzel Hines rocked the house with a one-handed slam after a rip through past his defender to split the lane.
High Point never let up and finished the game with an 18-point win, 77-59.
Up Next:
High Point will hit the road for a trip back down south to play against the University of North Florida on Saturday, December 2. The tip is set for 2:00 pm.
#GoHPU
