HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men's basketball team forced 29 turnovers on Wednesday night in the Qubein Center, the third-most in DIvision I program history, to power the Panthers past Charleston Southern, 80-55, to secure their fifth consecutive win and sixth straight victory against the Buccaneers.
The 25-point win marks HPU's second-largest margin of victory over a conference opponent this season and completes a regular-season sweep of Charleston Southern for the third straight year.
Rob Martin showcased his two-way ability, recording the second-most steals in a single game in program history with eight, while tying his season-high with 22 points for his seventh 20-point performance of the season.
Three other Panthers finished in double-figures as
Owen Aquino recorded a season-high 18 points and eight rebounds,
Conrad Martinez contributed with 13 points, four steals and three assists, and
Braden Hausen totaled 12 points for his fourth straight double-digit scoring performance, to go along with five rebounds and three steals.
Site: Qubein Center
Score: High Point 80, Charleston Southern 55
Records: High Point (21-4) (9-1), Charleston Southern (11-13) (2-7)
Head Coach Flynn Clayman: "Sixty deflections tonight, which was a record for the season, and Rob had 18 by himself. Rob has really been playing great defense as of late, and I think that's translated to his offense. So another good win in the win column and moving on to a great Radford team next."
Aquino got the action started for HPU with a basket on the first possession and followed with an assist to Hausen on the next offensive trip down the floor.
Martinez led a 10-0 scoring run for the Panthers with eight points, including a 3-pointer and two steals resulting in fastbreak layups, giving HPU its largest lead of the game, 20-11, with 10:55 to go in the first half.
The Panthers closed the final 7:42 of the first half on a 25-6 scoring drive, guided by 14 combined points from Martin and Hausen. Martin capped the half with a reverse layup before the buzzer to finish with 12 first half points and give HPU a 47-25 lead at halftime. Martinez recorded 11 points, while Hausen and Aquino each added eight.
HPU shot 60 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc and 70 percent at the free throw line in the first 20 minutes. The Panthers committed just three turnovers while recording 13 steals, including five from Martin, and forcing 17 Charleston Southern turnovers, converting them into 21 points.
Terry Anderson doubled his scoring total from the first half with six straight points in the opening 3:04 of the second half to pick up where the Panthers left off before halftime.
Aquino and Martin led the way down the stretch for HPU, combining to score 17 straight points over a 7:23 period to help the Panthers get out to a 74-55 lead with 3:17 remaining.
HPU kept the 20-point advantage over the final three minutes to seal the 80-55 victory. The Panthers dominated in the paint, outscoring the Buccaneers 48-20, and excelled in the open court, recording 23 fastbreak points.
Martin and Martinez combined for 12 steals of the team's 21 to fuel the Panthers 29 forced turnovers leading to 32 points off those turnovers, while only committing eight turnovers. As a team, HPU shot 46.2 percent from the field and 75 percent at the charity stripe.
"Those two guys [Martin and Martinez] are two of the best guys at not turning the ball over. They're very efficient offensive players, and then, really what I loved mostly about them… was the fact that they could play some on ball defense, and they're showing that they can really both guard the ball," said Clayman.
Up Next:
HPU remains at the Qubein Center on Saturday, February 7, as the Panthers square off against Radford University at 7 p.m. for HPU family weekend.
#GoHPU x #OnTheProwl
