HIGH POINT, N.C. — The High Point University Panthers return to the Qubein Center on Saturday, November 29 at 2:00 p.m. for a matchup in the battle of the purples versus Western Carolina University. This will be the second SoCon opponent the Panthers have faced this season after defeating Furman in the season opener, 97-71.
 
Men's Basketball - vs Western Carolina University
Saturday, November 29 | 2:00 p.m. | High Point, N.C. | Qubein Center
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Records: High Point 6-1, Western Carolina 3-3
Last Meeting: December 5, 2023 | Result: HPU won 97-71
All-Time Record: HPU leads 6-1 (DI Era)
 
The Matchup
This will be the eighth meeting between the teams since High Point became Division I and the 77th all-time meeting since 1934. The most recent matchup was in 2023 with the Panthers defeating the Catamounts 97-71 on the home court. HPU has won nine of the past 10 meetings, including each of the last three matchups. High Point also holds a 22-4 record in the head-to-head battles taking place in High Point. Western Carolina is led by Cord Stansberry who averages 15.6 points per game and 4.4 rebounds. Abdulai Fanta Kabba leads the Catamounts on the glass at 7.7 boards per contest to contribute to the teams' 40.3 boards per game, ranking second in the SoCon, just 1.34 rebounds behind league-leader Furman.

Last time out
High Point won the Boardwalk Battle MTE in Daytona Beach, Florida, winning the program's first MTE since the 2022 season. After defeating the University of Incarnate Word 91-80 in the Championship game, Cam'Ron Fletcher was named the tournament MVP, while Terry Anderson was named to the All-Tournament team. Fletcher dropped 18 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game for his third double-double of the season.
 
 
Notable Player & Team Notes
 
Fletcher on the Rise – Tournament MVP x Player of the Week
Fletcher averaged 19.0 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game and 1.3 steals per game a week ago. Overall, he was very efficient on the offense and shot 62.5% from the field after going 20-for-32, 38.5% from three-point range knocking down 5-for-13 and went a perfect 12-for-12 at the free throw line. In game one at the Boardwalk Battle, he led the team with a career-high 27 points on a 75% shooting clip. In the Boardwalk Battle Championships game, he registered his third double-double of the season scoring 18 points with 10 rebounds and was named the Tournament MVP. Currently, Fletcher is second in the Big South in scoring, averaging 18.71 points with a 62.0 shooting percentage.
 
 
Largest Margin of Victory Over D1 Opponent
With the 93-50 win over Canisius HPU recorded the largest margin of victory over a D1 opponent. The record was set in 2023-24 with the 93-51 win over Coppin State.
 
1st Player of the Week Honors
Cam'Ron Fletcher was named the Big South Player of the Week for the first week of college hoops. He averaged 18.0 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game after posting a double-double on opening night at the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon with 11 points and 10 rebounds, before recording a new career-high with 25 points against Averett and one rebound shy from another double-double performance. Across both games, he shot 65.2% from the field and 67% from the line.

Field of 68 MM Coach of the Week
Coach Clayman was named the Field of 68 Mid-Major Coach of the Week after picking up two wins against Furman and Averett.

Most Points Scored in D1 Era
HPU defeated Averett on homecoming weekend 127-52, which was the most points scored in D1 program history. The 75 points margin was the second largest margin of victory in program history over any opponent.

1st Win for Clayman Era
High Point defeated Furman in the season-opener at the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon, 97-71 for first-year head coach Flynn Clayman's first win.

Continuing Success After Change
Coming off the most successful season ever for the Panthers after making it to March Madness the team's energy has never been higher. The energy for this season all stems with the new first-year Head Coach Flynn Clayman who was appointed in April of 2025 after serving as the Associate Head Coach under Alan Huss last season. 
 
Preseason Awards
High Point was picked again as the number one-ranked team in the Big South Preseason Poll for the second consecutive season and the fifth time in program history (2007-08, 2013-14, 2015-16, 2024-25, 2025-26). Rob Martin and Scotty Washington were picked to be on the First Team All-Conference as well. In the Blue-Ribbon Forecast HPU was picked preseason No. 1 and Martin was selected as the Preseason Newcomer of the Year. In two other preseason polls, High Point was picked fourth in the Field of 68 Mid-Major poll and eighth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25® poll. Since cracking the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25® on December 26, 2023, High Point has remained in the top 25 for 36 consecutive weeks. The highest ranking that HPU received in program history was No. 5 on February 5, 2024.
 
Notable Transfers, Returning Players, and New Freshman
This season, the Panthers have a totally new squad and lineup looking to continue the standard of success they have created after making a tournament appearance. There are eight transfers that have made High Point their new home. Cam'ron Fletcher, a graduate student who has played at Kentucky, Florida State and Xavier, is bringing experienced veteran leadership to the team. He has already won a transfer award back in 2021-2022 as the ACC Impact Transfer per CBS Sports. Rob Martin who started at Indiana State and then Southeastern Missouri State University, is a senior who also brings some veteran leadership and was named to the Big South Preseason First-Team All-Conference selection. Another leader for the Panthers is Owen Aquino, who is coming to HPU after playing at Eastern Florida State and Liberty, a team that also won its league title and made the 2024-25 NCAA Tournament. Aquino a native of Spain, shares the court alongside Spain native Conrad Martinez, who spent his first two seasons at the University of Arizona. Scotty Washingtonis a senior transfer that played for CBU and CSUN, where he grabbed a 2024-2025 All-Big West Honorable Mention and was named to the Big South First-Team All-Conference selection. Vincent Brady II and Youssouf Singare are the last two transfers for the Panthers that also help strengthen the new identity and game plan that the Panthers have for this season. Singare transferred from the University of Connecticut and Brady II joins the Panthers from Missouri State University.

2024-25 Historic Season
High Point made history during the 2024-25 season by winning its first-ever Big South Tournament title and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. HPU finished with an overall record of 29-6, which tied for the most wins in Big South program history (Winthrop, 2006-07) and the most wins in HPU program history. The Panthers finished the regular season with a 26-5 record and a 14-2 league record. The 26 regular-season wins is the most in program history and tied the Big South regular-season wins record with Coastal Carolina's 2010-11 season (26-4). High Point's offense finished 3rd in the NCAA in KenPom rankings for raw offensive efficiency, trailing only Duke and Gonzaga, and were ahead of 2025 NCAA National Champion Florida.