HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men's basketball team jumped back into the winning column with a 89-72 win over non-conference foe, New Jersey Institute of Technology, in the second-ever matchup against the Highlanders, on Friday night for the Panthers' fifth win in the last six games.
Four players finished in double-digit scoring for HPU, with
Rob Martin leading the way with 21 points, shooting 8-12 from the field and 3-5 from beyond the arc, to go along with four assists, two steals and two rebounds. This was his second consecutive game with a 20-point performance.
Terry Anderson continued his incredible play, including a double-double last game, with his fourth straight game scoring at least 15 points and his seventh game finishing in double-figures as he tallied 16 points on 5-9 shooting from the field and 2-3 from long range while also recording five rebounds.
Cam'Ron Fletcher added 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Hausen contributed with 10 points, four rebounds and three assists.
"These fans are great, and they gave us an extra edge today," Head Coach
Flynn Clayman stated. "Beyond that, I'm proud of our team's response. It is very difficult to turn around that fast after a loss… These guys showed a lot of character, a lot of togetherness… But our guys, in that moment of when it got down to nine points, stuck together, made plays, and I'm proud of them."
Site: Qubein Center
Score: High Point 89, NJIT 72
Records: High Point (8-2), NJIT (3-7)
The Panthers came out of the gates on fire from beyond the arc. Anderson, Martin and
Chase Johnston knocked down the team's first three long-range opportunities to give HPU an early 11-4 lead. HPU continued its hot shooting after a missed shot was grabbed by
Owen Aquino, who then kicked the ball to the perimeter to Johnston as he splashed his second three-pointer of the game to make it 14-9, High Point.
The shooting clinic didn't stop as HPU knocked down its fifth three-pointer. Fletcher came off the pick and roll and fired the ball to an open
Scotty Washington, who drained the triple on the right wing to regain the lead for the Panthers, 17-16.
Braden Hausen made his presence known early. A missed shot in the corner by HPU was grabbed by NJIT, but immediately taken away by Hausen, who finished the play with two points inside the paint. The next possession down, Hausen drove to the basket, spun in traffic before dropping the ball off to
Owen Aquino for the two-handed jam. A few possessions later, Huasen added to HPU's tremendous shooting performance with a three-pointer from the left wing to push HPU's lead to double-digits, 28-16, with 10:08 remaining in the first half.
"He [Hausen] has not been giving anything. He has earned every minute," said Clayman. "This guy is working his butt off, and he's about as valuable of a player as we have."
Aquino converted the and-one basket and three-point play at the free-throw line to extend HPU's lead to its largest of the game, 15 points, 31-16. Martin received the handoff from
Conrad Martinez, took a few dribbles, and fired a laser pass down low to Aquino as he converted the reverse left-handed layup in traffic.
HPU was dominant on both ends of the floor as the Panthers held NJIT scoreless for nearly seven and a half minutes while going on a 21-0 scoring run after Fletcher converted a runner off the glass for two as HPU got out to a 35-16 lead with 8:28 left on the game clock until halftime.
Josh Ibukunoluwa provided great minutes off the bench. He converted a hard-earned basket at the rim to send him to the line to try to convert the three-point play, but was not able to. The very next possession, a Fletcher steal resulted in a two-handed dunk on the other end by Ibukunoluwa for his second made bucket.
"Josh is a great player. He has helped us a ton throughout his career here," said Clayman. "I think he played well tonight, and he will continue to improve, but we know that he can step up and help us win big games."
With just over one minute to go until the end of the first half, Hausen was able to add onto his score total after Martinez drove to just inside the paint, and then kicked the ball out to Hausen beyond the arc to tally his second three-pointer and eighth point of the game to extend HPU's lead to 15 points, 46-31.
The Panthers closed out the first half with a 49-34 lead. It was a balanced scoring attack in the first 20 minutes of action from HPU as all nine players who checked in scored, and eight recorded at least five points. HPU earned 22 of its 49 points from its bench with Hausen leading the way, shooting 3-6 from the field. HPU shot 46.2 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from the three-point line and 75 percent from the free-throw line in the first half.
Anderson was able to light the spark for HPU to start the second half, scoring the first four points, which included back-to-back contested layups, and an and-one basket to put the Panthers up, 53-36.
NJIT battled in the second half, but it was Martin who maintained the comfortable double-digit lead for HPU as he recorded five baskets, with all coming inside the paint to put him into double-figures with 15 points.
"Rob did a fantastic job of letting the game come to him tonight," said Clayman. "He might be the most talented guard I've ever coached and that's no disrespect to anybody else, but this guy can really play basketball. He's buying in to try to be more efficient in the first half. He was reading the defense properly, getting his teammates involved, and priding himself on the defensive end. In the second half, they [Highlanders] adjusted a little bit and gave him open lanes to the rim, and that's when he punished."
It was Martin who continued his stellar play, and he wasn't just doing it inside the paint. Fletcher kicked the ball to the right corner to Martin, as he buried his second triple of the game to make it 76-62, HPU.
"He's [Martin] also a phenomenal shooter," said Clayman. "He'll be one of our top shooters as the season continues from three."
Anderson and Martin gave HPU a 19-point lead, 84-65, with 5:07 left in the game after both were able to connect on three-pointers to push Anderson's scoring total to 16 points, and Martin's to 21 points. The three-pointers were the ninth and tenth triples for HPU, making it the third straight game and fifth overall that the Panthers recorded at least 10 made three-pointers.
It became a Fletcher dunk fest late in the second half as NJIT couldn't stop his high-flying abilities. On back-to-back defensive possessions for HPU, Martin was able to force a turnover and push the ball ahead to Fletcher in the open court as he slammed home the two-handed jams. Fletcher scored the final five points for HPU to seal the victory for the Panthers, 89-72, for their eighth game winning by double-digits.
It was a fantastic bench performance from HPU as the Panthers got 27 points from the bench, led by 10 points from Hausen, seven from Washington and six from Ibukunoluwa. The Panthers finished the night shooting 45.6 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from the three-point line and 73.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Up Next:
High Point looks to extend its win streak as the Panthers will hit the road to take on Appalachian State in Hickory, N.C., at Lenoir-Rhyne's Shuford Memorial Stadium on Sunday, December 14, at 2 p.m.
#GoHPU x #OnTheProwl
