JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -
The High Point University women's basketball team advanced in the Big South Conference Tournament with a 71-53 victory over USC Upstate on Thursday afternoon.
Site: Freedom Hall Civic Center
Score: High Point 71, USC Upstate 53
Records: High Point (25-5, 13-3), USC Upstate (12-20, 6-10)
Head Coach Chelsea Banbury: "I'm really proud of how our group came out tonight. We dropped one last Saturday to Upstate, and I challenged them. We watched a lot of film on it and the overall intensity on both sides of the floor was completely different from what I saw the other day. They were hot early on and it started with these two right next to me. Macy [Spencer] and Nevaeh [Zavala] made a lot of plays to get us going early on defense and they fueled us on offense. I'm just really proud of how our girls responded and came in and set the tone early. We were able to separate it enough and came away with the win."
High Point set the tone early behind efficient shooting and strong defensive play. The Panthers knocked down five three-pointers in the opening quarter and built a 23-15 lead after the first 10 minutes.
The Panthers continued their momentum in the second quarter with their most productive stretch of the game. High Point scored 26 points in the quarter while limiting its opponent to just 10, taking a commanding 49-25 lead into halftime. The Panthers lead was fueled by a Big South Tournament record 10 made three pointers in the first half.
Offensively, the Panthers were living by their perimeter shooting, finishing the game with 12 made three-pointers. High Point also forced 17 turnovers and turned those opportunities into 22 points while adding 11 fast-break points.
High Point maintained control throughout the second half, pushing its lead to as many as 28 points before closing out the quarterfinal victory and advancing in the Big South Tournament.
"I do think it was a high pressure game defensively," said Spencer. "When everyone is active on defense, it makes it such a fun game to play in. The energy is great and I think everyone just gets going when we have a lot of pressure defensively. We're getting a lot of stops and that just hypes us up even more."
Macy Spencer led the Panthers with a game-high 20 points, connecting on four three-pointers and going a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. This was Spencer's 16th 20-point game this season and third time going perfect from the line.
Nevaeh Zavala added 18 points and five rebounds, while
Aaliyah Collins contributed 11 points along with four assists and four steals.
Up Next: High Point will face Winthrop University in the semifinal game on Saturday, March 7 at 6:00 p.m. in Johnson City, TN.
#H3U x #GoHPU
