HIGH POINT, N.C. — Kezza Giffa scored a career-high 30 points en route to High Point University's 85-76 victory over Gardner-Webb University Saturday afternoon. The team's fifth straight victory and back-to-back Big South Conference wins marks the Panthers' first 2-0 conference start since the 2018-19 season.
Head Coach Alan Huss: "We were fortunate to get a win today. Gardner Webb is extremely well coached. They were well prepared and made everything we did on both ends extremely difficult. I am proud of our guys for making enough tough plays down the stretch to come away with a win."
Site: Qubein Center
Score: High Point 85, Gardner-Webb 76
Records: High Point (13-4, 2-0), Gardner-Webb (5-11, 0-1)
HPU dominated on the court, holding the advantage over the Bulldogs for nearly 39 minutes of play. Kimani Hamilton was a key all-around player in High Point's performance, leading the team in rebounds (9), assists (4), and blocks (2) while also putting up 11 points for the Panthers.
Kezza Giffa and Duke Miles were on fire against GWU, scoring a majority of HPU's points. Giffa dominated the first half, sinking 19 of his 30 points and setting a new career-high for himself, while Miles took the wheel in the second as he netted 26.
High Point started the game strong with Juslin Bodo Bodo opening the game with a pair of dunks in the first minute to fire up the team. The Panthers quickly raced to a 14-6 lead, maintaining the momentum for a majority of the half.
Giffa was a spark plug off the bench in the first, sinking seven points in less than four minutes.
Around the eight-minute mark, Gardner-Webb found its groove and slowly chipped away at HPU's 10-point lead, but Giffa was having none of it. Coming out of a timeout, he sunk a triple to put the Panthers ahead by two at the half.
Miles dominated early in the second half, securing nine points in the first four minutes with no intentions of slowing down.
Gardner-Webb wasn't ready to throw in the towel, taking the lead with an and-one with 11 minutes left on the clock. HPU's second-half hero, Miles, responded with a layup to reclaim the lead.
At the 5:49 mark, the final turning point came as Giffa made his impact on the defensive end with a monstrous block. Less than a minute later, Hamilton fed off the electric energy generated by Giffa as he secured a steal-and-score with a slam dunk to seal the deal.
Up Next: High Point hosts UNC Asheville Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 7:00 p.m. The team encourages fans to wear black for "Black Out" Night.
#GoHPU
