FARMVILLE, VA – The High Point University women’s basketball team picked up its fourth-straight win with a 81-65 victory at Longwood on Saturday. Freshman DeAnneisha Jackson scored a career-high 18 points and freshman Kaylah Keys added 17.
“It was a close game at halftime,” said head coach DeUnna Hendrix. “We came out much stronger in the second half, rebounded and pushed tempo. Our freshmen are really maturing and it is great to see DeAnneisha, Kaylah and Teddy Vincent all scoring in double figures. All of our guards have done a much better job rebounding lately and today it was Ashante Richard with 11 to lead the team.”
Jackson topped her career high for the second-straight game with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. She also grabbed five rebounds in the win. Keys finished with 17 points and six assists and Vincent added 10 points and five rebounds. Redshirt-junior Lindsay Puckett scored 15 points for the second-straight game. Richard finished with six points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
The win improves High Point to 12-8 overall and 8-3 in Big South play. The Panthers are tied with Winthrop for second place and will take on first-place Liberty on Thursday in Lynchburg, Va. Longwood drops to 6-14 for the season and 3-8 against league opponents.
Longwood jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead in the opening minutes of the game. Vincent drained a three from the left corner to put High Point on the board and start an 11-0 run. Vincent scored eight of HPU’s first 11 points including an offensive rebound and putback to give High Point an 11-6 lead with 14:20 on the clock.
High Point pushed the lead all the way to 18-8 on a Keys’ three pointer with 12:22 on the clock. A seven-point Longwood run got the Panthers back within three, 18-15, with 9:41 to play. With 6:21 left in the half Kyndal Skersick made a layup and a free throw to pull Longwood within one, 24-23. The teams kept it close, with Longwood once again trailing by one, 33-32, with just under a minute to play. Jackson scored the final basket of the half to give HPU a 35-32 lead at halftime.
The Panthers outscored Longwood 9-3 in the first four minutes of the second half. Latrice Phelps scored on a 15-foot jumper to give HPU an 11-point lead with 14:43 to play. Jackson scored three straight layups, each one assisted by a different player, to stretch High Point’s lead to 58-42 with 11:44 on the clock.
HPU continued to extend the lead, pushing it to 21, 74-53, with Jackson at the free-throw line and less than four minutes to play. The Panthers maintained the double-digit lead and won the game 81-65.
Stacia Robertson finished the game with eight points and nine rebounds. High Point outrebounded Longwood 46-38. The Panthers finished the game with 16 assists on 26 made field goals.
High Point will travel to Liberty on Thursday, Jan. 30 to face the Flames at 7 p.m. HPU topped Liberty75-70 at the Millis Center on Dec. 30, 2013. The Panthers have won their last two games at the Vines Center including a 71-63 win last year.