HOUSTON, TEXAS – The High Point University women's basketball team traveled down to Texas to take on Big 12, Power Four conference opponent, the Houston Cougars, on Sunday afternoon for HPU's first road game of the season. The Panthers battled for much of the game but ultimately lost 67-57, marking HPU's first loss of the season.
Three Panthers finished in double-figures, led by
Aaliyah Collins as she totaled a team-high 14 points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals. It is the fourth game Collins has tallied at least four steals.
Nevaeh Zavala finished with 13 points, shooting 4-5 from the field, to go along with six rebounds, including five offensive boards.
Macy Spencer tallied 13 points, three rebounds and two steals.
Site: Fertitta Center
Score: High Point 57, Houston 67
Records: High Point (5-1), Houston (4-2)
Head Coach Chelsea Banbury: "I think we missed an opportunity. It's always tough coming in, playing on the road, and seeing our first road game today, you never know how we're going to respond. We're going to show up, but we just have to do a better job of executing a game plan on the offensive and defensive side of things. You can't come in and not execute and expect to beat a team like Houston, so we'll go home, work on some things, get better ourselves, and then be ready for the tournament next weekend."
It was Anna Hager's drive and finish with her left hand in the paint that got the Panthers on the scoreboard for their first two points.
HPU gained an early lead, 6-5, after
Brecken Snotherly, earning her second start of the season, drove to the basket, drew the defense in, leaving Zavala wide open for Snotherly to drop the ball off for the easy Zavala layup.
After nearly four minutes of not scoring, the team's leader in steals at three per game, Collins, recorded steals on back-to-back possessions and finished the tremendous on-ball defensive effort with left-handed layup finishes to bring the Panthers within a point, 14-13, which ended up being the score at the end of the first quarter.
HPU struggled to find a basket in the first 4:50 to start the second quarter as Houston went on a 10-0 scoring run until
Dom Nesland and Zavala combined for 3-4 from the free-throw line to close in Houston's lead, 24-16.
Spencer recorded her first and HPU's first basket of the second quarter with 4:07 remaining until halftime after Hager handed the ball off to Spencer, who drove to the basket and finished the runner inside the paint for two to cut Houston's lead down, 26-18.
HPU cut down Houston's lead to two points, 28-26, its closest margin since the 8:58 mark earlier in the quarter. Collins shot the ball to the right wing to
Chana Paxixe as she drained the team's first three-pointer of the game, and then on the next possession, it was Collins again, this time scoring the ball as she drove to the basket for the easy layup for her ninth point of the game.
After being down by as many as 11 points, a 7-0 scoring run from HPU tied the game up at 28 with 1:29 remaining in the second quarter after Zavala knocked down her two free-throw attempts from the line.
As the second quarter ended, Houston held a 30-28 lead. Collins led the way for the Panthers with nine points, three steals and two rebounds. Zavala added eight points and five rebounds, and Spencer recorded five points and three rebounds.
The Panthers forced 14 Houston first-half turnovers, and held the Cougars to just 3-10 from the three-point line and 3-8 from the free-throw line.
A baseline inbounds play from Nesland left Zavala wide open on the left wing as she splashed the Panthers' second three-ball of the game for HPU's first bucket of the second half, making the score 35-33 Houston.
Collins wasted no time pushing the ball up the court as the Cougars could not keep up with HPU's fast-tempo offense, leaving Hager wide open on the perimeter to knock down her first three-pointer of the game from the left wing, closing in on Houston's lead, 39-37.
A quick crossover from Nesland to beat her defender allowed her to create open space for a drive and finish at the basket in traffic, drawing a foul for the potential three-point play, but Nesland was not able to convert the free-throw as HPU tied the game at 40 with 3:59 left in the third quarter.
The strong attack and finish in the paint over two defenders gave HPU its first lead of the game, 42-40, since the 4:06 mark in the first quarter.
A 7-0 run from the Cougars closed the third quarter as Houston led by five points, 47-42, entering the fourth quarter.
Collins got things going for HPU to start the fourth quarter as she used her incredible court vision to find Spencer under the basket for a reverse layup to close in Houston's lead, 50-44.
It was Collins' tremendous passing again that set up Nesland under the basket as she finished the bucket for two and the foul inside the paint. This time, Nesland was able to convert the three-point play at the free-throw line to trim Houston's lead back down to three points, 52-49, with 5:52 remaining in the game.
Collins was doing it all, as she scored the next two baskets inside the paint for HPU, and then found Spencer on a baseline inbounds pass for the jumper as Houston held the 60-55 lead with 2:24 left.
Houston closed the game on a 7-2 run to seal the win for the Cougars, 67-57.
The Panthers shot 30.5 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free-throw line in the game.
Defensively, HPU was extremely aggressive the entire 40 minutes of action, forcing 21 Houston turnovers.
Up Next: The Panthers will travel to Westwego, La., on Friday, November 28, for the Big Easy New Orleans Classic to take on the University of Louisiana in the Alario Center at 1:00 p.m.
#H3U x #GoHPU
