HICKORY, N.C. — The High Point University men's basketball team met up with the Appalachian State Mountaineers on Sunday afternoon at neutral site Lenoir-Rhyne University in the Shuford Memorial Arena. The teams put on quite the show, battling through 40 minutes of regulation before going into overtime. Unfortunately for the Panthers, High Point was not able to take the lead in OT and fell 86-78.
 
Five Panthers finished with double figures led by Terry Anderson with 17, Rob Martin with 12 and Cam'Ron Fletcher, Conrad Martinez and Braden Hausen each with 10.
 
Site: Shuford Memorial Arena
Score: High Point 78, App State 86
Records: High Point (8-3), App State (7-5)
 
The Panthers got out to a slow start in both halves. Opening the first, HPU struggled to buy a basket following Fletchers first field goal of the game in the Panthers first possession. From there the Panthers offense went cold until Youssouf Singare powered up a layup after seven minutes of action to trail 16-4.
 
High Point finally started clicking as Scotty Washington and Hausen heated up from the perimeter. In back-to-back possessions, the pair each drained a triple with just under 11 minutes to go in the first half which cut the game to 18-16 in favor of the Mountaineers.
 
App State went on a run and stretched its lead back up to 26-18. Anderson helped High Point respond by scoring the next seven points after draining a three, driving strong on the left side and splashing in two free throws. Anderson's efforts made it a one-point game, 26-25, with five minutes to go in the half.
 
High Point took its first lead of the game, 27-26 with a Martin drive to the basket. Hausen gave HPU its largest lead of the half with a pump fake at the top of the key to get his defender flying and bury the three-point shot to make it 30-26.
 
App State chipped away in the last three minutes and went up by four with 19 seconds left. Hausen came off a screen with the clock ticking down and sunk his third three of the game to put the Panthers within one at the half, 34-33.
 
High Point started the second half flat on the offense and went down eight early. The Panthers continued to trail after seven minutes of action and went down by 10, the largest deficit of the game, 50-40.
 
Fletcher got the High Point crowd on their feet and the team fired up with a one-handed throw down dunk that he secured an and-one on. Earning the extra point, he brought the Mountaineers' lead back to within single-digits, 50-43.
 
This momentum carried over and Martin was able to knock down a three and splash in three free throws after getting fouled on a three-point shot. The six point swing put the Panthers within one point, 50-49.
 
Fletcher took off down the court and picked up another and-one play to give High Point its first lead of the half 52-50 at the 9:44 mark.
 
Owen Aquino pitched in two field goals and Anderson dropped in a three to go up 61-56. A technical foul on an App State player sent Aquino to the line for two. Making both shots, the Panthers went up seven with under five mins to go in regulation.
 
With a minute and 13 seconds to go in the game, High Point led 70-64 with a Fletcher layup. App State quickly closed the game and trailed by two-points with five seconds to go. Pushing the ball down the court, the Mountaineers drove in and scored a layup to tie the game 71-71 with one second left on the clock, sending it to over time.
 
In overtime, High Point trailed throughout the five minutes of time. Anderson cashed in his third three of the game to put HPU within three points, 81-78 with a minute and a half left in overtime. Unfortunately, the Panthers were unable to connect on their final shots of the game and fell 86-78.
 
UP NEXT:
High Point welcomes Division III Mary Baldwin to High Point on Tuesday, December 16 at 7:00 p.m.