PORTLAND, Ore. – For the first time in program history, the High Point University men's basketball team won its first NCAA Tournament game as the 12th-seeded Panthers upset fifth-seeded Wisconsin, 83-82, in the first round of March Madness for High Point's first win over a Power 4 team on Thursday afternoon inside the Moda Center.
No. 12-seeded High Point becomes just the fourth team in Big South Conference history to win a first-round tournament game with the last win in 2015 when No. 16 Coastal Carolina beat No. 1 Wisconsin. The Panthers are the first team to advance to the Round of 32 since Winthrop did in 2007.
"It's tough to even put into words what just happened" Head Coach
Flynn Clayman stated. "I couldn't be more proud of this team. In the summer when we get those shot tracker numbers back and there's 63 schools in the country that have it and we're number one every week in attempts, they can talk about whatever we have but we're working. We're selfless… and we're not just here to win one game, we're here to get to the sweet 16."
Site: Moda Center
Score: No. 12 High Point 83, No. 5 Wisconsin 82
Records: High Point (31-4, 15-1), Wisconsin (24-11, 14-6)
High Point trailed Wisconsin for majority of the game, only tying it up one time in the first half and never letting the differential become more than 10. After being down by eight with seven minutes to go in regulation, the Panthers heated up from the perimeter, fueled by
Chase Johnston.
Johnston came across half court and buried a logo three to make it 70-65 to trail the badgers. In the next possession,
Rob Martin dished off a pass to
Terry Anderson for a layup. Wisconsin quickly answered with its own layup on the other end to keep a four point lead. Martin found Anderson again in transition cutting on the backside for another easy layup.
A foul by the Panthers sent the Badgers to the line for two. Knocking both down, Wisconsin went back up by four, 72-68 with under four minutes to go.
Johnston buried another three at the three-minute mark to put HPU within one point, 76-73. In the next possession,
Cam'Ron Fletcher kept the three-point range hot with another three for the Panthers to tie the game at 76 all.
Both teams exchanged layups to tie the game at 78 all with 2:13 to go in the game. Two layups from Wisconsin's Nick Boyd put the Badgers back up by four with a minute left in regulation.
Johnston answered with what he does best. A three pointer off a curl on the wing. Trailing by one, 82-81, HPU challenged a call and won the call to regain possession out of bounds. HPU was unable to get a good shot off out of the in-bounds play but secured the rebound on the defensive end with 14 seconds left.
Johnston leaked out on a full court sprint and Martin threw a long dart pass for a front-of-the-rim layup. Johnston gave HPU the 83-82 lead with his first two-point basket of the season. With 11 seconds left, High Point registered two stops including a big block from
Owen Aquino.
As the horn sounded, the Panthers celebrated with their first NCAA Tournament win in just the second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
HPU was led by Martin with 23 points, followed by Anderson with 15, Fletcher and Johnston each with 14 and Aquino with 11.
UP NEXT:
High Point will play No. 4 Arkansas at the Moda Center on Saturday, March 21. Time is TBD.
#GoHPU x #OnTheProwl
