GREENSBORO, N.C. – The High Point University women’s basketball team lost a close road contest at UNC Greensboro on Sunday. The Spartans outlasted HPU, 81-76, in a game with nine lead changes. Freshman Kaylah Keys led the Panthers with a career-high 25 points.
“We didn’t match UNC Greensboro’s intensity in the second half,” said head coach DeUnna Hendrix. “We couldn’t get in to a flow offensively and didn’t work hard enough on the defensive end to make up for it. Kaylah Keys and Tayler Tremblay kept it close but we needed more players to step up. Hopefully they will learn from this as we have a quick turnaround to face Furman on Tuesday.”
Keys scored a career-high 25 points, including 9-for-11 shooting from the free-throw line. She also had three steals in the game. Senior Tayler Tremblay added a 19 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Junior Latrice Phelps scored eight points while grabbing seven rebounds.
Lucy Mason led the Spartans with 17 points and Janae’ Stevenson added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The loss snaps a three-game win streak for the Panthers, dropping HPU to 4-2 on the season. UNC Greensboro improves to 4-3 on the year.
The Panthers jumped out to a 13-point lead, 18-5, with 12:40 on the block in the first half. Keys scored on a fast break layup and was fouled by Bailey Williams. She converted the three-point play to give HPU a 16-5 advantage. Jatzmin Johnson scored on the next possession to give High Point their biggest lead of the day, 18-5. The Spartans countered with a 22-2 run over the next six and a half minutes to take back the lead, 27-20. Lucy Mason led the UNC Greensboro run with eight points, including a three pointer that gave the Spartans a 21-20 lead.
Keys halted the run with a tre from Lexi Patterson with 5:28 left in the half to cut UNCG’s lead to 27-23. High Point continued to fight back in the half, tying the game 29-29, on a three from Patterson. Phelps grabbed an offensive rebound and the Panthers passed the ball around until they found Patterson open for three with 3:15 on the clock. Redshirt-junior Stacia Robertson converted her second basket of the day to give High Point a 34-33 lead at halftime.
The lead changed hands six times in the second half with UNC Greensboro taking control with 6:10 left to play. Jarae Savage scored to put the Spartans ahead 66-64. Keys got HPU within one for the final time in the game, 69-68, with 4:22 to play. Breonna Patterson hit two free throws for UNCG to push the lead back to three and the Spartans were able to hold off High Point for the final four minutes of the game. With nine seconds to play UNCG iced the game with two more free throws from Patterson, going on to win the game 81-76.
The Spartans outrebounded High Point 42-30 while scoring 18 second chance points.
High Point will return to the Millis Center on Tuesday to face Furman at 7 p.m. The Panthers are 2-3 all-time against Furman with a 80-46 loss on the road last year.