GREENSBORO, N.C. – The High Point University men's basketball team traveled across town to play a mid-week matchup at UNC Greensboro on Tuesday night. After 40 minutes of battle, UNCG got the edge with the 72-68 win in the final minute of play.
Site: Fleming Gymnasium
Score: High Point 68, UNCG 72
Records: High Point (8-2), UNCG (4-4)
In the first two and a half minutes of the game, High Point took a one-point lead with a three from
Kezza Giffa. UNCG quickly took a 9-5 lead after earning five points in one offensive possession from the Spartans leading scorer Kenyon Giles.
Simon Hildebrandt recorded his first minutes in a High Point jersey and quickly knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key for his first basket of the season. His three kept the Panthers within one-point at 9-8 with 15 minutes to go in the first half.
Bobby Pettiford made an impact as soon as he entered the game. He found his way through traffic in the lane for two back-to-back perfectly executed soft touch shots to make it 15-14 at the 11:28 mark.
Through most of the first half, the Panthers trailed by a basket or two while continuing to trade baskets. At the under 10-minute mark,
Trae Benham knocked down two threes on the perimeter and
Juslin Bodo Bodo connected on two alley-oop dunks to give HPU a 23-22 lead.
The teams traded leads through the last five minutes of the first half before High Point secured the 38-34 advantage at the half with a last second shot from Pettiford.
Chase Johnston opened the second half by knocking down high point's fifth three of the night. UNCG tied it up early in the first four minutes of the half at 41 all. The Spartans took a lead after scoring on a rim run during a fast break transition and stretched to a five-point lead after capitalizing on second chance opportunities.
At 13:02, Hildebrandt found
D'Maurian Williams wide open in the paint for an easy turnaround dunk. Williams scored in the next two possessions to make it 50-47 UNCG with 11 minutes to go in the game.
The Spartans took their largest lead of the game at 59-52 with eight and a half minutes left on the clock. HPU stayed focused and closed the game back to a three-point gap with the help of an old school three-point play from
Kimani Hamilton at the 7:30 mark.
In the final five minutes, the Panthers went down by four but a big three from Giffa in front of thee HPU bench cut game to one. In the next possession on the Panthers defensive,
Terry Anderson came down with the rebound and passed it out to Giffa. Giffa drove down on the left side and went in for the layup and missed but Anderson followed it up and tipped the shot in to take the 66-65 lead with 3:49 on the clock. UNCG answered and took back the lead.
Down 70-66 with two and a half minutes to go, Hamilton got a steal at half court and took off for a breakaway layup, but the Spartans fouled him on the floor. Hamilton attracted another foul on the floor from UNCG after in bounding it which put the Panthers in the bonus, sending Hamilton to the line for one-and-one. Knocking down both free throws, HPU trailed 70-68 with 1:40 left in the game.
In the final minute of the game, High Point's defense applied a tremendous amount of pressure on the Spartans to force turnovers, giving the Panthers a chance to tie the game. After taking four shots in the last 53 seconds, High Point was unable to get a shot to fall to tie the game, resulting in the 72-68 loss after UNCG knocked down two free throws.
UP NEXT:
High Point will host North Texas on Friday, December 6 at 8:00 p.m. following the women's basketball game.
#GoHPU x #OnTheProwl
