HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University women's basketball team scored 53 bench points to help lift them past the UNC Asheville Bulldogs, 84-53, on Saturday afternoon.
Site: Qubein Center
Score: High Point 84, Asheville 53
Records: High Point (7-8, 2-0), Asheville (2-12, 0-1)
Head Coach Chelsea Banbury: "It was a great team win. We got contributions from a lot of different players, especially our bench led by Lauren (Scott). We had 53 bench points. I think when that happens, you become a very tough team to go against. We were a little slow in the first half, but I was proud of how our team came out in the 3rd quarter. We did a much better job of defending and trying to take them out of what they wanted to do. I'm happy we adjusted at halftime and came out playing a lot harder and we were able to put them away."
High Point and Asheville started neck and neck in the first half with six lead changes.
Chana Paxixe started hot for HPU as she knocked down the first few baskets for the Panthers. In came
Lauren Scott as she drained a three from the top arc to tie the game at 13 with just under four minutes to play in the first quarter. The Panthers grabbed the lead after
Shakira Baskerville dropped a layup and then knocked down a three pointer to take High Point to the second quarter up five, 18-13.
Dom Nesland converted on a layup in the paint to hand High Point its biggest lead of the game, 22-13. Asheville crawled its way back after tying it at 28 and then taking a 30-28 lead.
Aaliyah Collins got the chance to tie the game at 32 after she drew the and one off a good layup in the paint. The Panthers and Bulldogs went back and forth before Scott and Baskerville tallied four points to take the team to the locker room with a four-point lead, 38-34.
Paxixe started HPU off in the second half with a fast break layup in the paint. The Bulldogs answered with a good jumper before High Point shut them down and went on a 17-0 run to open things up. Scott continued to heat up as she drained a three and was fouled to go to the line for a four-point play to take a 21-point lead. High Point took a 26-point differential to the fourth quarter. The Panthers 29 points in the third quarter is the fourth most points scored in a quarter in program history.
The fourth quarter saw High Point continue to blow the Bulldogs out of the water as at one point they held a 34-point advantage. Banbury cleared the bench as almost every dressed Panther saw court time in today's Big South matchup. The Panthers earned the Saturday afternoon conference victory to improve to a 2-0 record in the Big South.
Scott led the floor with 22 points as she went 6-for-10 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Nesland tied her season-high 15 points in 21 minutes as Baskerville and Collins also found themselves in double-digit scoring.
Up Next: High Point will be back in the Qubein Center on Wednesday, January 8 as Charleston Southern comes to town for a 7:00 p.m. tip.
