HIGH POINT, N.C. – Returning to the Qubein Center after the Christmas break, the High Point University men's basketball team hosted Norfolk State University on Sunday afternoon. Taking it down to the wire in the final minutes of action, the Panthers came up short 77-74 to the Spartans.
Site: Qubein Center
Score: High Point 74, Norfolk State 77
Records: High Point (12-3), Norfolk State (9-6)
For High Point, the three-point shot was the ticket throughout the entire game. As a team the Panthers knocked down 15-of-36 led by
Chase Johnston with eight threes himself for a team-high 24 points.
In the first half, Johnston,
Trae Benham and
D'Maurian Williams each cashed in a pair of threes. Aside from a handful of free throws and threes, the Panthers only knocked down one field goal in the lane in the first half with a layup from
Kimani Hamilton to keep HPU within four points, 21-17.
NSU was quick on the drive and used speed to squeeze through the gaps for layups at the basket. With 12 minutes to go in the first half, the Spartans took their largest lead of the first half at 24-17.
High Point trailed until under four minutes to go in the first when Williams knocked down back-to-back triples to give HPU its first lead since the 16:26 mark. The Panthers held the one-point lead at 34-33 briefly, as Norfolk State connected on three baskets before the half to take the 39-34 lead at the break.
In the first five minutes of the second half, Johnston came out firing from the perimeter. Heating up from three-point range, he knocked down four threes in the Panthers five possessions to help give HPU a 49-45 lead.
The Spartans remained steady and answered with a handful of baskets to take back a one-point lead at the 13:53 mark before advancing on a seven-point lead from a 14-3 run with 11 minutes to go in the game.
After going down by nine with under six minutes left on the clock, the Panthers battled back and strung together a series of stops and quality offensive to come within one-point of the Spartans at the two-minute mark. The 8-2 run during the stretch was started by
Kezza Giffa and Johnston with back-to-back three-pointers followed by a steal from Johnston that gave Hamilton a layup to make it 71-70, with HPU trailing by one.
Norfolk State answered after taking a timeout and scored a basket to go back up by three. With a minute and a half to go in the game, Giffa was fouled and sent to the line for two shots and dropped in both points to come back within one-point, 73-72.
High Point remained within one-point with a minute to go after both teams missed field goals on each end. The Panthers were called for a foul under the basket on an offensive rebound which sent NSU to the line for two shots from the double bonus with six seconds left. Norfolk State missed both free throws and High Point secured the rebound and called a timeout near the half-court line to set up a play.
Still down by three, 75-72, High Point inbounded the ball and attempted the three-point shot to tie the game and missed but was able to tip-in a basket off the miss to make it 75-74 with one second left. HPU fouled quickly and sent NSU back to the line for two shots. The Spartans knocked down both and the Panthers trailed again by three with 0.8 seconds on the clock. With little time, HPU was unable to secure a game tying basket and fell 77-74 to Norfolk State. This was High Point's first loss on the home court this season.
UP NEXT:
High Point begins Big South Conference on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. inside the Qubein Center against Radford University. The game has been selected as the first Big South ESNPU Wildcard game to be aired on ESPNU.
#GoHPU x #OnTheProwl
