BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The High Point University men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season on the road against non-conference opponent, UAB, in the second-ever matchup between the two programs, on Friday night, 91-74.
High Point matched up against UAB in its first-ever matchup against the Blazers last season in the Qubein Center, which the Panthers won, 68-65.
Site: Bartow Arena
Score: High Point 74, UAB 91
Records: High Point (3-1), UAB (2-2)
Both teams got off to a slow start on the offensive end, each only scoring seven points through seven minutes of play. The tempo of the game picked up over the next five minutes.
Great defense from
Rob Martin led to a steal from
Braden Hausen as he pushed the ball ahead to Martin, who found Cam'ron Fletcher running to the basket for the one-handed rim-shaking slam, tying the game at 19 with 8:10 remaining in the first half.
High Point knocked down its first triple beyond the arc after missing its previous eight attempts to tie the game back up at 27 with 3:39 left in the first half. A steal by
Chase Johnston led a fast break for the Panthers, with the ball eventually finding its way in the hands of a wide-open Martin from the right corner as he splashed down the three-pointer to add to his total of 10 points.
It was Martin again, three possessions later, who knocked down another open three-ball, this time from the top of the key with the help of an
Owen Aquino screen, to give HPU its first lead, 34-32, since the 14:38 mark in the first half.
The Panthers closed out the first half with the lead, 38-35, led by the tremendous play from Martin as he totaled 17 points (season average is 13.3 PPG), including 12 of HPU's final 16 points of the half on 5-9 from the field and 2-3 from the three-point line. Fletcher was the only other Panther that finished the first half in double-figures with 11 points to go along with six rebounds.
A
Scotty Washington steal, the team's eighth of the game, opened the second half and led to a Fletcher fastbreak two-handed jam thanks to an assist from Martin to cut the Blazers' lead from eight points down to three, 55-52.
Martin continued his exceptional night with a spin move and finish with his left hand over two defenders to narrow down UAB's lead, 69-63.
High Point was 0-8 from the three-point line to start the second half until
Conrad Martinez caught fire from long range, drilling back-to-back three-pointers to make it a 78-69 game, still in favor of UAB. The Blazers closed out the game on a 13-5 run to seal the win for UAB, 91-74, for HPU's first loss of the season.
Martin added onto his tremendous season thus far, finishing with a team-high 21 points to go along with seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Fletcher recorded 20 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Aquino also finished in double-figures with 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and a block. As a team, the Panthers shot 40 percent from the field and 71 percent at the free-throw line.
UP NEXT:
The Panthers look to get back in the winning column as they return to the Qubein Center to take on Canisius University on Monday, November 17 at 7 p.m.
#GoHPU x #OnTheProwl
