The High Point University women's basketball team was an automatic qualifier for the women's National Invitational Tournament and is set to matchup with Clemson on Thursday, March 16^th. The Panthers earned the automatic bid after finishing as the runner-up in Big South regular season play with a 13-5 record and an appearance in the conference tournament championship.
 

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We're locked in for Thursday night at Clemson, see you at 7 p.m. for the first round of the #WNIT ???? #H3U x #GoHPU pic.twitter.com/fhDBlJwWqf

— HPU Women's Basketball (@HPUWBB) March 13, 2023

 
GAME INFORMATION – WNIT First Round
High Point at Clemson
Thursday, March 16^th | 7:00 PM
Littlejohn Coliseum | Clemson, S.C.
Watch | Live Stats | WNIT Bracket | Game Notes
 
Last Time Out
High Point battled with No. 1 seed Gardner-Webb in the Big South Tournament Championship, ultimately falling 74-61. The Panthers picked up wins over No. 7 USC Upstate and No. 3 Campbell to earn its second appearance in the championship in three seasons. Jenson Edwards led HPU in the title game with 18 points and six rebounds, on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor. Nakyah Terrell added 14 points and five rebounds while Jordan Edwards passed out four assists with nine points in 40 minutes of play.
 

Jenson with the jump shot ??#NCAAWBB x ?? ESPNU / @HPUWBBpic.twitter.com/WHrqnYfjzR

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 6, 2023

ACROSS THE BENCH
High Point vs. Clemson

• The Panthers have played the Tigers twice, both contests played in Clemson.
• HPU is 0-2 against Clemson but the two teams have not met since head coach Chelsea Banbury's arrival to HPU.
• Matchups with the Tigers:
  • L, 84-56 -- at Clemson -- Dec. 17, 2002
  • L, 83-64 -- at Clemson -- Dec. 5, 2018

 
 About the Tigers

• Clemson is 17-15 on the season and finished ACC play with a 7-11 record.
• The Tigers compiled a 11-5 record at home and made it to the second round of the ACC Tournament, ultimately falling to North Carolina, 68-58.
• Last five games for Clemson:
  • L, 59-54 at Miami – Feb. 16
  • W, 79-69 vs. Virginia – Feb. 23
  • W, 74-61 vs. Florida State – Feb. 26
  • W, 71-53 vs. No. 15 Pitt* – Mar. 1
  • L, 68-58 vs. No. 7 North Carolina* - Mar. 3

                    *Denotes ACC Tournament game

• The Tigers are led by Amari Robinson and Daisha Bradford, both averaging double-figure scoring with 14.1 and 10.0 points per game, respectively.
• Robinson also leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 6.3 boards per game.
• Brie Perpignan has passed out 101 assists while Bradford has swiped 71 steals.  
• Head coach Amanda Butler is in her fifth season at the helm for Clemson and has increased her team's win total in each of the last four seasons.

 
Panthers Earn Second WNIT Appearance in Four Years
High Point University women's basketball earned an invitation as an automatic qualifier for the women's National Invitational Tournament. The Panthers finished as the runner-up in the Big South regular season with a 13-5 record to earn the invite.
 

Congratulations to @HPUWBB, the AQ from the @BigSouthSports, for making the 2023 Postseason #WNIT! We are excited to have the Panthers in the tournament field! pic.twitter.com/XeitFqr3ik

— WNIT (@WomensNIT) March 8, 2023

 
High Point in the WNIT
HPU is 0-4 in WNIT games played with the last matchup resulting in an 81-74 loss to Ohio in the 2019 season.
HPU's WNIT Results

• L, 72-45 – at Charlotte (2007)
• L, 88-78 – at N.C. State (2012)
• L, 72-62 – at Bowling Green, Ohio (2014)
• L, 81-74 – at Ohio (2019)

 
Curran, Edwards Named to Big South All-Tournament Team
Graduate guard Skyler Curran and redshirt-senior guard Jenson Edwards earned their second nods to the Big South All-Tournament team, announced at the conclusion of the tournament championship on Sunday, March 5^th. Curran posted 56 points over three games while Edwards chipped in 35, shooting over 58 percent from the floor. Curran also pulled down a team-high 19 rebounds in the tournament.
 

Proud is an understatement ????@SkylerCurran_21 x @jenson_edwards https://t.co/DMClQegxxn pic.twitter.com/MmpFp402Ki

— HPU Women's Basketball (@HPUWBB) March 6, 2023

 
Curran's Season Best Leads HPU Back to Championship
Graduate guard Skyler Curran posted 29 points as High Point defeated Campbell, 69-50, in the semifinal round of the Big South Conference Tournament. Curran also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds while Shakira Baskerville added 14 points in 19 minutes of play. 
 

The @HerculesTires ???????????? ???????? ???? ?????? ???????? ??

Skyler Curran tied a season-high with 2??9?? points, including this TOUGH bucket through contact ??@HPUWBB x #BigSouthWBB?? pic.twitter.com/l7oum33HGG

— Big South Conference (@BigSouthSports) March 5, 2023

Edwards Named Player of the Week
Jenson Edwards has been named the Big South Player of the Week for the first time this season as announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon (February 20). It is the second time that an HPU women's basketball player has earned the award this season and the first time in Edwards' career that she's been named the player of the week after earning several freshman of the week awards three seasons ago. Edwards averaged 17.0 points per game after High Point went 2-0 with wins over Presbyterian and USC Upstate to secure a first-round bye into the quarterfinals of the Big South Tournament. Edwards had an impressive performance at Upstate, pouring in a game-high 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor, and going 4-for-4 from both the three-point line and free throw line. She also tallied three assists in each contest.
 

One down ? back at it tomorrow night!#H3U x #GoHPU pic.twitter.com/slAkNhe3vV

— HPU Women's Basketball (@HPUWBB) March 3, 2023

Double-Figure Dominance
The Panthers have now placed five players in double-figure scoring twice this season. The first game came against Charleston Southern earlier in the season, as Curran, Hager, Wyatt, Terrell, and Baskerville all ended with ten or more points. Jenson Edwards, Nakyah Terrell, Skyler Curran, Shakira Baskerville, and Claire Wyatt were in double-figures against USC Upstate Saturday, February 18^th. Edwards scored a game-high 20 points.
 

That's a wrap at Friday practice ??????#H3U x #GoHPU pic.twitter.com/jCYGmDvqWV

— HPU Women's Basketball (@HPUWBB) March 3, 2023

 
Edwards Now Sixth All-Time Leading Scorer
With 20 points on Saturday, Jenson Edwards is now ranked sixth overall for all-time leading scorers in program history. Edwards has tallied 1,248 points in her time as a Panther and has now passed Cheyenne Parker and Makenzi Maier in the record book. Jenson averaged 10.4 points per game through the regular season, which was third-best on the team. She also averaged 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
 
Curran Earns Player of the Week Nod
After a steady week of averaging double-figure scoring, High Point University women's basketball's Skyler Curran has been named the Big South Player of the Week (February 13). It marks the first time an HPU women's basketball player has earned the award this season and the seventh time in Curran's career that she's been named the Player of the Week. Curran helped HPU to a 2-0 week with double-digit wins over Campbell and Longwood. She finished the week with 31 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 13-for-21 (.691) from the floor. Against Campbell, Curran poured in a game-high 16 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor. At Longwood, she tallied 15 points on 3-of-5 shooting from deep and pulled down six rebounds.
 
Edwards Posts Eleventh Career Double-Double
Jenson Edwards posted 15 points and 12 rebounds in the Panthers win against Longwood this past Saturday. Edwards scored nine points in a 15-0 run over the Lancers in the third quarter. The performance marked the 11^th double-double of her career and second on the season.
 
Curran Reaches 1,500-Point Milestone
With a game-high 21 points at Winthrop on Wednesday, January 18^th, graduate senior Skyler Curran tallied her 1,500^th career point. Curran finished the night on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor and 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range. Her 1,642 career points are currently second in HPU's program history.
 
Curran Cracks Top-100 in Active Career Leaders
Grad senior Skyler Curran has totaled 1,642 career points and 398 points this season (14.2 ppg). She is up to No. 2 on HPU's all-time scoring list, trailing only Kaylah Keys (1,869). Curran is also climbing the ladder on the NCAA Division I active career leaders list in points. She currently sits at No. 66 in 118 career games played, tied for the 16^th-fewest games played among those in the top-70. With 298 career makes from three-point range, Curran would become just the second Big South player to reach the milestone. This season, Curran is third in the Big South for scoring with 14.2 points per game and 398 total points.
 
Dynamic Duo Climbing the Ladder
Jenson Edwards and Skyler Curran both joined the career 1,000 points & 500 rebounds club in HPU's contest against Wofford on November 19th. Edwards tallied 22 points with her first double-double of the season to eclipse 1,000 career points while Curran pulled down nine rebounds to reach 500 rebounds. Edwards notched the 500 rebounds milestone earlier in the season while Curran tallied her 1,000-career point in the 2020-21 season.
 
HPU Women's Basketball 1,000 Career Points & 500 Career Rebounds
Katie O'Dell (2002-06) – 1,307 points, 680 rebounds
Mackenzi Maier (2007-11) – 1,119 points, 595 rebounds
Shamia Brown (2008-12) – 1,590 points, 745 rebounds
Cheyenne Parker (2010-13) – 1,200 points, 1,039 rebounds
Stacia Robertson (2012-15) – 1,274 points, 801 rebounds
Emma Bockrath (2015-18) – 1,616 points, 747 rebounds
Jenson Edwards (2018-pres.) - 1,248 points, 636 rebounds
Skyler Curran (2018-pres.) - 1,642 points, 637 rebounds
 
Curran is also now in sole possession of the leader for three-pointers made in a career, passing Kalyah Keys' 255. She reached the program-best mark of 257 makes in 97 career games played. Curran is 298-of-842 from beyond the arc, a career .354 from deep.
 
Edwards and Curran become the seventh and eighth members of the Panthers' NCAA Division I-era 1,000 point and 500 rebound club and are two of just three active women's basketball players in the Big South who have reached both milestones.
 
Edwards Second in Assists in Big South
Both Jordan Edwards and Jenson Edwards tallied 98 assists during the regular season finishing in a tie for second in the Big South. In the Panther's win against Longwood Saturday, February 11^th, Jordan added five assists and posted a season-high eight assists against Campbell earlier in the season. The graduate guard has posted at minimum one assist in every game she has played this season while Jenson tallied three or more assists in 17 contests.
 
Curran Tallies 18th Double-Figure Game & Now Second in HPU's All-Time Scoring List
With 15 points at Longwood, Skyler Curran has now ended in double-figures in 21 out of the Panther's 30 games. Curran posted a season-high 29 points against Stony Brook earlier in the season and has tallied points in every single game so far. With a career-total of 1,642 points, Curran now sits second overall in HPU's all-time scoring list.
 
Panther Offense Too Much for Nationally Ranked Defense
While Campbell entered Wednesday's (January 25) contest with the third-ranked NCAA Division I defense allowing 50.6 points per game, High Point used a 12-0 run midway through the third quarter to take down the Camels, 57-49. Campbell also boasted 41.8 rebounds per game entering the contest, 29^th in NCAA DI, but HPU out-rebounded the hosts 32-30 on the night.
 
Hot Shooting from Deep Edges Conference Record
The Panthers' 19 made three-pointers at Presbyterian on January 14^th nearly tied HPU's own Big South record for triples made in a game (20 vs. Winthrop). The performance also tied the third-most threes made in a single game this season by an NCAA DI member (Michigan State (19) at Maryland; South Dakota (19) vs. Midland).
 
Every Panther Scores as Meadows, McNear Return
All active roster players got the chance to see the floor on Wednesday night (January 18) in Rock Hill as High Point took down Winthrop, 79-42. The contest also marked the first game back for graduate senior Courtney Meadows and redshirt junior Amaria McNear. In eight minutes of action, Meadows scored a layup and tallied an assist while McNear made a free throw to mark that every Panther had scored in the contest.
 
Baskerville Builds to Career-High at Winthrop
Sophomore forward Shakira Baskerville has already doubled her scoring production as a role player from her freshman year as a Panther. In 2021-22, Baskerville tallied 32 total points through 13 games played (2.5 ppg). In 2022-23, she is averaging 4.3 points per game with 69 total points. She's posted five or more points in four of her last six games played and posted a new career-high 15 points at Winthrop on Wednesday, January 18^th.
 
Second Half Rally Marks Historic Comeback Win
High Point rallied from as much as 19-down to take a 60-57 win from Charleston Southern. The Panthers went 12-of-14 from the free throw line in fourth quarter, highlighted by Skyler Curran going 9-for-9 from the charity stripe as she finished with a game-high 24 points. The resurgence is tied for the fourth-largest comeback in a conference game in program history (vs. Liberty; January 30, 2018). Jenson Edwards led HPU with eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block in 38 minutes played. Nakyah Terrell joined Curran scoring in double figures with 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor with four rebounds.
 
Four-Straight Matchups with Three Double-Figure Scorers Supplement HPU Team Play
In the four-game stretch from a matchup with No. 8 Virginia Tech to a win at UNC Asheville, High Point has had three scorers finish in double digits each night. In the stretch, Claire Wyatt and Callie Scheier have finished three games in double figures, finishing the stretch with 47 and 33 points, respectively. Skyler Curran (31) and Nakyah Terrell (21) have posted double-digit scoring efforts twice, and Jordan Edwards (15) and Jenson Edwards (12) each finished in double figures at Asheville.
 
Edwards' Hot Hand in First Quarter Propels Panthers to Second Big South Win
During Wednesday night's game at UNC Asheville, grad senior Jordan Edwards blew open the first quarter scoring for HPU, notching 13 of her season-high 15 points in the opening period on 3-of-4 shooting from deep. In the last two minutes of the quarter, Edwards knocked down triples on consecutive possessions before Nakyah Terrell hit a jumper on HPU's final possession to take a commanding 27-12 lead into the second period. The Panthers shot over 66 percent from the floor (10-of-15) and over 55 percent from three-point range (5-of-9) in the opening 10 minutes.
 
Ball Sharing, Defense Powers Panthers to Big South Opener Win
High Point opened the Big South schedule with a win against 2022 tournament champion Longwood on Thursday night in Qubein Arena. Three Panthers scored in double figures while HPU posted 25 assists on 31 made baskets. It is the most assists tallied in a single-game this season for High Point and ties the ninth-most assists recorded in a single-game in program history.
 
Wyatt Finding Rhythm Entering New Year
Rounding out the 2022 portion of the schedule, Claire Wyatt averaged 15.0 points per game over three games for HPU, leading the Panthers in scoring in each of the contests. In the December 29^th win over Longwood, she also added a team-high two blocks to go along with four rebounds and two assists. In those three games, she shot 62 percent (18-of-29) from the floor, 50 percent (7-of-14) from three-point range and tallied six of her eight total blocks on the year.
 
Curran Conjures First Double-Double
Graduate student Skyler Curran recorded the Panthers' first double-double of the season as she dropped team highs with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Curran leads HPU with 15.7 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game through the first three contests.
 
Scheier Leads Defensive Effort
Junior Callie Scheier has recorded a team-high 38 steals through 15 games so far this season, good for second in the Big South. She has recorded three or more steals in seven games this season, including games against Davidson, Elon, Georgetown, and Wake Forest. The program record for steals in a season by an individual sits at 88, set by Emma Bockrath (2018-19), Narelle Henry (2002-03), and Erin Reynolds (2011-12). Lindsey Edwards was the most recent Panther to crack the program top-15 with 67 steals in the 2018-19 season.
 
Preseason Panthers
Three HPU players earned Big South Preseason honors and High Point was picked to win the conference for the second year in a row in preseason polls. Skyler Curran and Jenson Edwards were named to the Preseason All-Big South First Team while Jordan Edwards earned Second Team Big South preseason honors.