HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University women's basketball team starts its season with a, 84-26, victory over Johnson C. Smith University on Monday night.
Site: Qubein Center
Score: High Point 84, Johnson C. Smith 26
Records: High Point (1-0), Johnson C. Smith (0-0)
Head Coach Chelsea Banbury: "I'm finally excited to get the season started. I think we did some good things on the floor today. Like I said to our players, I don't think we're at our best. We've been talking about how we want to play one way, and it doesn't matter who we're playing, our defensive intensity is going to be the same. The level that we execute on the offensive end is going to be the same and we must share the ball and stop taking selfish shots. I'm happy that we won, but I do think we need to be a lot better. And we got to be a lot better pretty quickly."
The Panthers opened their season by getting off to a quick start shooting 52% from the field in the first 10 minutes. Highlighted by a key returner,
Aaliyah Collins went on a tear to begin her season scoring early and often to help put her team out to a 23-7 lead after the first quarter.
Continuing the dominance into the second quarter, HPU carried a 29-0 run halfway through before JCSU got on the board. High Point went on to take a 30-point lead following a three pointer and a layup from
Peyton Gerdes with about two minutes left on the clock.
After the half, the Panthers came out a little slower but still saw the ball fall as
Macy Spencer was able to cash in from beyond the arc in her Purple & White debut. Spencer started the fourth quarter the same way she ended the third, by draining a three pointer to extend the HPU lead to 40.
The fourth quarter was the biggest scoring quarter for High Point as everyone seemed to shoot and score.
Chana Paxixe had herself a nice last 10 minutes, finding herself on the free throw line a bunch.
Kenaya Klintman and Gerdes came off the bench and made an immediate impact by scoring and forcing turnovers on the defensive end.
Collins was the leading point scorer with 19 points, while Spencer tallied 17 in her debut.
Brecken Snotherly led in the rebound category as she recorded a career-high 10 rebounds in her first game in the Qubein Center.
High Point starts 1-0 in the 2025-26 season with the, 84-26, win on Monday night.
Up Next: High Point will host Wofford College on Saturday, November 8 at 12:00 p.m.
#H3U x #GoHPU
