ELON, N.C. – The High Point University women's basketball team fell short to Elon, 66-65, on opening night of the 2024-25 season on Monday night.
Site: Schar Center
Score: High Point 65, Elon 66
Records: High Point (0-1), Elon (1-0)
Head Coach Chelsea Banbury: "I think we let one get away from us. 24 turnovers are way too many to have in a game and it killed us down the stretch in the third quarter. We didn't play for 40 minutes. That has been a point of emphasis, I think we played for about 20 of them and that's not good enough to win."
The 2024-25 season tipped off as Elon won the tip and scored the first basket of the game. A few missed chances by HPU led the Phoenix to take an early 4-0 lead. Anna Hager got the Panthers on the board with an easy layup to get the ball rolling.
After going down 10-2, the senior guard,
Lauren Scott drained her first basket in the Purple in White in a catch & shoot fashion for a make beyond the arc. With a minute left in the first quarter, HPU was down eight before the freshman,
Dom Nesland knocked down her first points with a three to cut the Phoenix lead to five. Scott then took control of the Elon turnover and knocked down a jumper to take High Point into the break down three, 15-12.
Scott started the second quarter draining three foul shots to tie the game at 15. About three minutes into the second, High Point took a four-point lead after Nesland drained another three. A pair of free throws from
Shakira Baskerville were good enough to help HPU head into the locker room up, 31-25.
Hager started the third quarter draining back-to-back threes to put the Panthers ahead 12 points following a good layup from
Aaliyah Collins. Hager hit another three to go up 14 points before Elon started to capitalize and shrink the lead off turnovers as High Point went cold. Elon managed to work their way back to an eight-point game, 44-36 heading to the fourth quarter.
High Point extended its lead back to nine before a few good Elon baskets brought the game within three, 52-49. It was a battle the final four minutes of the game, but Jayda Angel couldn't miss from beyond the arc as the Phoenix worked their way back to a 58-55 lead with 2:30 left. A three pointer from
Nevaeh Zavala off the inbound helped HPU regain the lead, 60-59 with just under a minute to play. A few late fouls and turnovers were good enough for Elon to make the comeback and earn a victory on opening night by a score of 66-65.
Hager led the team with 15 points, and seven rebounds, while
Jaleesa Lawrence also posted seven rebounds in her HPU debut. Collins led the floor with six assists.
Up Next: High Point will return to the Qubein Center for the first time as they host an exhibition game against Guilford College on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 7:00 p.m.
#H3U x #GoHPU
