Box Score CHARLOTTE N.C.- High Point men's basketball played in. the first round of the Hercules Tires Big South Men's Basketball championship on Wednesday night. Coming out in full force, the Panthers came up short in the final minute of play, 70-72.
Site: Bojangles Coliseum
Score: High Point 70, Charleston Southern 72
Records: High Point (12-16, 4-11), Charleston Southern (10-20, 5-13)
G.G. Smith: "I thought our guys came out ready to play, we came out with some great energy and some great effort at the start of the game. I give a lot of credit to Charleston Southern; they kept fighting and the kept playing in the second half and the second half was the biggest difference. We gave up too many transition points and too many offensive rebounds and they figured out a way to get back in the game. Just very disappointed in the way it happened. "
In the opening minutes of play, High Point came out fired up with a lot of energy. Causing a lot of turnovers on the Buccaneers, led to multiple fast break opportunities for the Panthers.
Zack Austin slammed one down, followed by an and-one layup by
Jaden House.
A big three from
Abdoulaye Thiam extended the Panthers lead to six to make it 14-8. Knocking down another three, HPU went up 19-9 at the mid-point in the first.
Two back-to-back buckets from House pushed the Panthers to a 12-point lead with seven minutes to go in the first half.
Charleston Southern chipped away and cut the game to five with four minutes left but the Panthers kept pushing and took their largest lead of 13, before closing the half up 40-30.
In the first minute and a half of the second, the Buccaneers went on a 9-2 run, to close the gap to three. Not rattled by the comeback, HPU pressed on to go back up by 11 at the 12-minute mark.
The teams exchanged baskets back-and-forth through a span of six minutes. After an
Emmanuel Izunabor block,
Bryant Randleman swiped one loose from the opponent, going down on a fast break to make it 65-60.
Charleston Southern's defense stepped up and made it difficult for the Panthers to make shots, resulting in the Buccaneers first lead of the game with two minutes to go in regulation.
Randleman's two made free throws tied the game at 69 all with 56 seconds. In Charleston Southern's next possession, Claudell Harris, Jr. managed to knock down a jumper to put the Buccaneers back on top.
Driving to the basket again, Randleman drawled another foul to go to the line for two. Making one, the Panthers fouled with 18 seconds left to send Charleston Southern to the line. Making the first, the Panthers had a chance with 15 seconds left to either tie the game or take the lead. Unable to get an easy lay-up, the team had an open look from three-point range that came short.
#GoHPU
