HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point University men's basketball hosted in-state opponent North Carolina Central University for a mid-week matchup on Tuesday night. After taking an 18-point lead in the first half, the Panthers held on and took the 76-60 win over te Eagles.
Four of the Panthers starting five scored in double figures, led by
Kezza Giffa with 24,
D'Maurian Williams and
Kimani Hamilton with 14 each and
Juslin Bodo Bodo with 11, while adding 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
Site: Qubein Center
Score: High Point 76, N.C. Central 60
Records: High Point (3-0), NCCU (0-3)
Bodo Bodo opened the game in Bodo Bodo fashion with an alley-oop off the pick-and roll to score the Panthers first bucket.
Chase Johnston and Giffa expanded the game on the perimeter with threes to make it 8-4 in the first three minutes of the game.
Abdoulaye Thiam entered the game and knocked down a three-pointer and a reverse layup to boost the energy and take a 17-9 lead for the largest margin thus far in the half at the 12:43 mark.
Bodo Bodo was doing work on both ends. He picked up multiple blocks in the first half, throwing one block into the stands and another off the glass to contribute to HPU's defensive stops. High Point stretched its lead back up to 13 at the five minute mark after getting stops on the defensive end and driving in the lane on offense for a chance to knock in a couple free throws.
In the last three minutes of the half, the duo of Williams and Giffa helped High Point gain its largest lead of the game. The two connected on back-to-back three-point plays as Williams got the old school three-point play with an and-one bucket and Giffa cashed in a corner three to make it 39-21 at the half.
In the second half, NCCU stepped up its defensive tempo by applying more pressure, forcing multiple turnovers from the Panthers. In the first five minutes of action, the Eagles cut the game to 12 points.
Three straight possessions under the 13-minute mark helped spark some excitement from the Panthers. Hamilton found Bodo Bodo for another alley-oop dunk, as Williams followed up with a block on the defensive end to lead to a basket for
Josh Ibukunoluwa off the high pick and roll.
High Point got caught sleeping on multiple backdoor layups but never let the Eagles cut the game under 12 points in the final 10 minutes of play. Giffa took over and scored nine of his 24 points in the last 10 minutes, helping HPU to the 76-60 win.
UP NEXT:
High Point hosts a top mid-major opponent on Friday, November 15 at 7:00 p.m. for the first-time in program history as the Panthers welcome UAB to the Qubein Center.
#GoHPU x #Onthe Prowl
