HPU Women’s Basketball Picks Up Third Straight Win, 73-62, Over Radford

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University women’s basketball team improved to 7-3 in the Big South with a 73-62 win over Radford on Thursday night in the Millis Center. Redshirt-junior Lindsay Puckett and freshman DeAnneisha Jackson led HPU with 15 points apiece while freshman Kaylah Keys posted a double-double with 12 points and a career-high 11 assists.

“Radford fought until the very end,” said head coach DeUnna Hendrix. “It took a total team effort to get the win tonight. Kaylah Keys is developing in to a great point guard and we got scoring from everyone on the team. When Radford started to rally we stayed poised and executed on offense.”

The Panthers picked up their third straight win with the 73-62 victory. Jackson was 6-of-6 from the floor, scoring a career-high 15 points to go with nine rebounds. Puckett also scored 15 points for the Panthers, including 12 in the second half. Keys posted her first career double-double with 12 points and 11 assists. Her 11 assists is the fourth-most in a single game in HPU’s Div. I era.

Radford’s Ayana Avery scored 26 points with a Highlander single-game record eight three pointers. Breshara Gordon added 12 points for Radford.

The Panthers stormed out to an 8-0 lead to open the game. Junior Latrice Phelps scored a jumper in the paint followed by three pointers by Teddy Vincent and Keys. Stacia Robertson grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on the putback to extend High Point’s lead to 19-14 with 10:44 on the clock. Radford countered with a 5-0 run, including a three pointer by Radford’s leading scorer Avery, her only basket of the first half, to tie the game 19-19 (9:51).

Vincent swung the lead back in HPU’s favor with a jumper from the right wing that sparked a 10-0 run for the Panthers. Jackson finished the stretch with back-to-back offensive rebounds, scoring on both to give HPU a 29-19 lead with 5:25 to go in the opening half. Puckett scored the final basket of the half, a three pointer to send HPU to the locker room with a 36-23 lead.

High Point led by as much as 19 in the second half but Avery got hot from beyond the arc, helping Radford get within eight, 67-59, with 2:21 to play. Jackson came up with a lose ball and drove in for the layup. Aisha Foy fouled her on the basket and she drained the free throw to push High Point’s lead back to 70-59. HPU went on to win 73-62.

Vincent finished the game with seven points and seven rebounds and Phelps added nine points and seven rebounds, all offensive. Robertson chipped in nine points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocks.

The Panthers travel to Longwood on Saturday to face the Lancers at 2 p.m. HPU beat Longwood 68-54 at the Millis Center on Dec. 6, 2013.