JOHNSON CITY, TENN. – For the third consecutive year, the High Point University men's basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Air Force Reserve Big South Basketball Championships after an 81-59 victory against the No. 8 seed Gardner-Webb on Friday afternoon to extend the Panthers' win streak to 12 games.
Five Panthers finished in double-figure scoring, but it was
Scotty Washington who led the way in the scoring attack for HPU with 19 points, shooting 7-of-15 from the field and 3-of-7 from the 3-point line.
Rob Martin finished with 16 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Braden Hausen recorded 14 points and four rebounds,
Terry Anderson added 13 points, 14 rebounds (six offensive) and six assists for his fifth double-double of the season.
Owen Aquino contributed with 10 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Site: Freedom Hall Civic Center
Score: High Point 81, Gardner-Webb 59
Records: High Point (28-4) (15-1), Gardner-Webb (4-29) (1-15)
Head Coach Flynn Clayman: "Good opening round game. There's always a lot of jitters in that first game, especially when you have a game off, like we had on Saturday, so we had a long time since we played our last game… but overall, good win."
The Panthers couldn't have had a better start in the opening three and a half minutes, starting the game on a 12-0 run. Hausen and Washington knocked down 3-pointers and Anderson converted a 3-point play, helping HPU convert five of its first seven shots from the field.
Hausen finished his third basket after burying his second 3-pointer, extending the Panthers' lead to the largest of the game, 25-10, with 10:33 remaining in the first half.
Washington scored two consecutive baskets, including an and-one, 3-point play to put him in double figures with 11 points and give HPU a 42-20 advantage with just under three minutes to play in the first half.
"I feel like it goes hand in hand into defense, really, like when I'm active, when I'm going 110%, I'll just let my shot fly, and it went in tonight," said Washington.
HPU went into the halftime break with a 43-27 lead. Washington led the way in scoring with 11 points, Anderson added nine points and nine rebounds, including four offensive boards and Hausen tallied eight points and two rebounds in the first 20 minutes of action. The Panthers shot 48.5 percent from the field, while holding the Runnin' Bulldogs to 26.7 percent shooting from the field and 18.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Washington continued his hot hand into the second half, opening up the final 20 minutes with his third 3-pointer of the game. Chase Johnson connected on his first 3-pointer two possessions later, pushing HPU's advantage to 17 points, 51-34.
Great ball movement led to Anderson making an unselfish play and dishing the ball off to Aquino for the two-handed jam, regaining a 15-point lead for the Panthers, 64-49, with eight minutes left.
It was the Hausen show in the final two and a half minutes. He converted a 3-pointer in the corner, dove on the ball for a steal on the defensive end, and threw the ball ahead to Washington for a two-handed slam and then splashed a triple from the logo before the shot clock buzzer, sealing an 81-59 victory for HPU's eighth straight win against Gardner-Webb.
HPU finished the game shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 30.8 percent shooting from the 3-point line, and holding Gardner-Webb to 33.9 percent shooting from the field and 6-of-27 shooting from the 3-point line. The Panthers outscored the Runnin' Bulldogs in points in the paint, 42-26.
"We're a team that's spread out, you know, we don't just have like a superstar, but with our depth, our togetherness, and the fact that any one of these guys on any given night can carry the load, is what makes us tough to game plan for," said Clayman.
Up Next:
The Panthers advance to the semifinals of the 2026 Air Force Reserve Big South Basketball Championships at noon on Saturday, March 6, against the winner of the No. 4 UNC Asheville/No. 5 Longwood game. Tip-off is set for 12:00 p.m.
#GoHPU x #OnTheProwl
