JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — The top-seeded High Point University women's basketball team took on fifth-seeded Winthrop University for the third time this season, but this time in the Big South Conference Semifinal for a spot in the championship game. The result stayed the same as the Panthers stayed undefeated against the Eagles, winning 79-63 on Saturday to advance to the Big South Championship game for the second year in a row.
Macy Spencer led the way for the Panthers as she tied the Big South Conference Tournament Semifinal record for most 3-point field goals in a game with six. The Big South Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year finished with 25 points. Aaliyah Collins recorded another 15 points as Peyton Gerdes and Dom Nesland finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.
Site: Freedom Hall Civic Center
Score: High Point 79, Winthrop 63
Records: High Point (26-5), Winthrop (15-17)
Head Coach Chelsea Banbury: "That was honestly a great team win today. Our girls came out and I think the adrenaline got us a little bit in the first quarter. We looked pretty tired after about a couple of minutes, but once we settled in, I think we did a pretty good job of executing the game plan. Our plan was to play team defense and try to limit their second-chance opportunities, and the fact that they only had four offensive rebounds is pretty incredible. Winthrop is a really good rebounding team. So, the girls bought into that. They came in and limited their second-chance points. Peyton [Gerdes], Chana [Paxixe], and Dom [Nesland] were huge off the bench, getting those rebounds. Two of them having nine, one having seven, they came in, and they went after the ball and got it with two hands. Macy [Spencer] was good again, got hot from three. She did it really well, stepped up, confident. Got us going early, and Peyton came in off the bench, and gave us a spark, started attacking the basket. I can't say enough about the girls. They definitely earned this one."
Spencer started off the game strong from beyond the arc with six first-quarter points, but Winthrop kept up, eventually taking a 14-11 lead into the second quarter.
The Panthers then started to take over. The Panthers took a 17-14 lead behind another four points from Spencer and Gerdes' second bucket of the game. High Point got out to a 27-18 lead with a layup from Gerdes, Spencer, Collins, two free throws from Chana Paxixe, and another free throw from Spencer.
Nesland gave the Panthers a 12-point lead with a three-pointer of her own and followed it up with a layup. HPU took a 35-23 lead into the half as the Panthers were +14 in the first half with Nesland and Gerdes on the court.
The Panthers opened up the second half with two free throws from Nevaeh Zavala and another layup from Collins before Spencer took over once again with another pair of made 3-pointers, making it a 45-25 game. Collins followed it up with another seven points.
Brecken Snotherly gave the Panthers a 23-point lead with two baskets of her own. The Panthers kept up the pace and moved the ball around to take a 65-44 lead into the final quarter.
Gerdes and Spencer kept the ball rolling for the Panthers in the final quarter as Spencer tied the conference record for made threes in a semifinal tournament game with 5:30 remaining.
"It feels amazing to be able to do this for this team, and how far we've come, it's an honor to play for this team," Spencer said. "My teammates, my coaches, they have a lot of trust in me. They believe in me, and it feels amazing."
A Zavala layup and two made free throws from both Nesland and
Dakota Phillips down the stretch gave the Panthers the 79-63 win.
High Point forced a total of 17 turnovers, grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, and, despite being a dominant three-point shooting team, led in points in the paint 38-26, showing the overall balance of the team.
Up Next: The Panthers now put focus on the Big South Conference Championship game when they face second-seeded Radford on Sunday, March 8, at 6:00 p.m.
#H3U x #GoHPU
