HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University women's basketball team defeated the Winthrop Eagles, 69-56, on Saturday night inside the Qubein Center.
Site: Qubein Center
Score: High Point 69, Winthrop 56
Records: High Point (15-11, 10-3), Winthrop (13-13, 7-6)
Head Coach Chelsea Banbury: "I don't think the execution was great for 40 minutes, but I thought the girls came out really strong to start the fourth and made plays to extend our lead. I'm excited to see Aaliyah (Collins) getting back into it and feeling more like herself. Lauren (Scott) has been huge for us as she's been shooting the ball really well."
Three Panthers scored in double-figures as
Aaliyah Collins led the floor with 17 points, shooting 7-12 from the field.
Lauren Scott trailed with 15 points as she connected on 4-6 from beyond the arc, and
Nakyah Terrell tallied 14 points.
The first quarter was back and forth, trading off points for the Panthers and the Eagles. Collins and
Nevaeh Zavala seemed to be working together to score points, as
Jaleesa Lawrence, Scott, and Terrell were also knocking down buckets. Winthrop jumped to a six-point lead with 4:53 remaining before High Point worked its way back to within one just under a minute to go. After the Eagles pulled ahead one score in the final seconds, Collins converted on a layup to tie the game at 19 after 10 minutes.
High Point started with a 8-2 run in the second quarter after Scott knocked down two three pointers to grab a 27-21 lead. Winthrop then went on a run of their own and brought the game to within one point about midway through the quarter. It remained a close ball game until Terrell clutched up and hit a three to go up four, before Scott would hit another from beyond the arc to take a six-point lead. High Point took a 39-34 advantage to the break.
The first double-digit lead came just three minutes into the second half after Lawrence connected on a layup in the paint. Collins was all smiles after she was open beyond the arc and splashed one to push HPU up 12, 49-37. The Eagles worked its way back to a seven-point deficit before both teams went scoreless the final minute and 20 seconds of the third quarter.
HPU remained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the night after opening the quarter with a Terrell fast break layup followed by Scott dropping another three. Scott put the cherry on top as she hit a mid-range jumper with the shot clock winding down and 10 seconds to play. High Point earned its third win in a row and grew a cushion for first place in the Big South standings.
Up Next: High Point will hit the road as they head to the low country to face Charleston Southern on Wednesday, February 19. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m.
#H3U x #GoHPU
