HIGH POINT, N.C. --
Skyler Curran led all scorers with 17 points and notched her second double-double of the season with 10 rebounds as High Point women's basketball tallied its 11th conference win Wednesday night, defeating Presbyterian, 63-47.
Jenson Edwards added 15 points and
Nakyah Terrell posted a big line with 13 points, eight rebounds, and three steals. With the win and other results from around the Big South, the Panther women secured a first-round bye into the conference tournament quarterfinals.
Head coach
Chelsea Banbury: "I think our girls showed up ready to play especially on the defensive end. I think holding Presbyterian to 47 points for the entire game is very good team defense. They have a lot of really good shooters, and we were able to hold them under their average from the three-point line. I think our girls are really starting to buy into game plans, and we're executing especially well on the defensive end. I'm excited for where we're going and we're continuing to get better. Skyler had a great game; she was very efficient. She got some easy shots and finished with a double-double. So, I'm pretty happy."
Jenson Edwards and
Skyler Curran lived up to the "H3U" slogan, hitting back-to-back three-balls to start the contest. The Panthers came out hot, doubling up Presbyterian early, 12-6, going into the first media timeout.
A steal from Edwards led to another Panther bucket and a shake-and-bake move by
Nakyah Terrell ended the first 15 minutes with the lead up to eight. As a team, High Point dominated on the defensive end with four steals in the first quarter alone.
Terrell netted another three to open the second quarter, forcing a Presbyterian timeout.
A
Jenson Edwards drive and score added to the Panthers 8-0 run, followed by a
Shakira Baskerville put-back to make it 24-11. A great feed from
Jordan Edwards gave Baskerville two more points down low and gave the 5'7" guard her fourth assist of the half. With just over four minutes left in the half,
Anna H?ger put-back a Baskerville miss to score her first field-goal of the night.
Two "heat-check" deep threes from Terrell pushed the Panther's lead to 17 just before the break.
Jenson Edwards and Terrell led the way in the first 30 minutes, both going into the half in double-figures, with Edwards shooting 80% from the field.
Curran started the second half with a fade-away floater after a scoreless few minutes for the Panthers. Consecutive offensive rebounds from
Amaria McNear contributed to two more points off a stop-and-pop from Terrell. The bank was open for
Jordan Edwards with two seconds left on the shot clock, to respond to a 6-0 Blue Hose run.
Curran ended the third quarter with a beautiful assist to Baskerville, to maintain the Panthers, 48-32.
Jordan Edwards secured an "and-one" late in the fourth following a
Jenson Edwards three-pointer.
Baskerville added to her eight points with another offensive rebound and put-back, with just over a minute left in the game.
UP NEXT: The Panthers head to Spartanburg, S.C. to take on USC Upstate on Saturday, February 18th. Tip-off is set for 3:00 P.M.
#H3U x #GoHPU
