HIGH POINT, N.C. — The High Point University men's basketball team welcomes Longwood University to the Qubein Center on Saturday, January 3 for its first game of 2026. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. with the doors opening at 12:30 p.m.

Men's Basketball - vs Longwood University
Saturday, January 3 | 2:00 p.m. | High Point, N.C. | Qubein Center
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Records: High Point 12-3, Longwood 8-7
Last Meeting: February 13, 2025 | Result: HPU won 83-72
All-Time Record: HPU leads 19-18 since 1998.

The Matchup
The Panthers and Lancers will meet for the 37th time since HPU became Division I in 1999. High Point has defeated Longwood two times in the last 16 meetings. The Lancers finished their non-conference season with an 8-7 record and opened Big South play with a victory over Winthrop at home 82-70. The Lancers are led by four players averaging double-figures, including Jacoi Hutchinson (12.8 ppg), Elijah Tucker (11.8ppg), Johan Nziemi (11.8 ppg) and Redd Thompson Jr. (10.3ppg). Longwood is coached by Ronnie Thomas who enters his first season at the helm after spending five seasons under previous head coach Griff Aldrich.

Last time out
The Panthers opened Big South play with a dominant win on the road at UNC Asheville, 87-69. This was HPU's first time beating UNC Asheville since the 2020 season. The 18-point victory was the largest margin of victory in Asheville since the 2006 season and the largest margin of victory in program history to open Big South Conference play on the road. Scotty Washington led the game with 26 points, scoring 17 of his points in the first half after going a perfect 5-5 from the floor and 4-4 from the free throw line. As a team, the Panthers shot 61.7 percent from the field and a season-best 52.6 percent from the three-point line for the second time this season HPU has shot better than 50 percent from beyond the arc. 
 

Notable Player & Team Notes

Started Conference Play Right
The 87-69 win over UNC Asheville on the road to start conference play was the first road win in a conference opener since 2009 for the Panthers and the largest margin of victory in program history to open Big South Conference play on the road.
 
Tied Non-Con Wins
HPU's 12 wins in non-conference tied the program record set during the 2024-25 season.
 
Best Non-Con Record by 1st Year Head Coach
Most wins by a first-year head coach in program history and best win % by a first-year head coach in Big South history.
 
Miller Named Freshman of the Week
Caden Miller earned the Panthers' first Freshman of the Week honor on Dec. 29. He averaged 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds & 2.5 blocks and registered a season-high 10 points against Pfeiffer.
 
Panthers in the Rankings
High Point ranks in the Top-25 in multiple stat categories across all Division I teams, including, 11th in assist/turnover ratio (1.85), 14th in bench points (37.31), 8th in effective field goal percentage (60.8%), 3rd in fastbreak points (21.88), 7th in field goal percentage (52.8%), 17th in free throws made (19.8), 5th in scoring margin (25.8), 8th in scoring offense (94.8), 4th in steals per game (11.3), 19th in three point percentage (39.0), and 8th in turnovers forced (17.00).

Both Basketball Teams Ranked in CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Rankings
Both the High Point men's and women's basketball teams are currently ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Rankings. The Panthers are 1 of 7 schools with their men's and women's teams in the rankings. The men have the second longest ranking streak in Big South history sitting at 44 consecutive weeks and rank 11th as of December 29. The No. 5 ranking early in the season matched High Point's highest ever ranking which occurred during the 2023-24 season. 
 
Largest Margin of Victory Over D1 Opponent
With the 93-47 win over Bryant, HPU recorded the largest margin of victory over a D1 opponent. The record has been broken twice during the season, first over Canisius.
 
Career Night for Martinez
Conrad Martinez scored a career-high 26 points on 7-12 shooting from the field with a career-high five made threes in the win over La Salle. He also added seven points from the charity stripe going a perfect 7-for-7.
 
Fletcher Receives National Attention
Cam'Ron Fletcher was named a Lou Henson 'Early' Season Watch List selection. He's the third Panther to receive 'Early' season recognition.
 
Largest Margin of Victory
The Panthers defeated the Fighting Squirrels in high scoring fashion, breaking the largest margin of victory record in program history with a 129-47 win. High Point led 66-19 at the half which is the third most points scored in a half and the second largest first-half margin in program history.
 
Most Points Scored in D1 Era
HPU defeated Mary Baldwin 129-47, registering the most points scored in Division I program history.
 
Hanging 10
Coach Clayman matched the conference record for fastest to 10 wins by a coach in his first year in the Big South. Clayman won his 10th game in his 13th contest, becoming the third head coach to start 10-3 in his first year in the league
 
Martinez the Distributor
Conrad Martinez dished out 11 assists against App State, which was the first time a player has had 10+ assists since 2014, when Haiishen McIntyre produced 10 assists at Clemson. Martinez recorded his first career double-double with 10 points.

Fletcher on the Rise – Tournament MVP x Player of the Week
Cam'Ron Fletcher averaged 19.0 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game and 1.3 steals per game the week before Thanksgiving. 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. Since the MTE, Fletcher recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 rebounds against Western Carolina. Currently, Fletcher is third in the Big South in scoring, averaging 17.2 points with a 56.8 shooting percentage.

Boardwalk Battle CHAMPS
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 and Terry Anderson was named to the All-Tournament Team.

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.

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.