Late Run Lifts HPU Men’s Basketball To 67-60 Win Over Liberty

HIGH POINT, N.C. — The High Point University men’s basketball team used a 15-0 run in the last eight minutes to take a 67-60 win over Liberty on Wednesday night at the Millis Center. It was the Panthers’ third win in a row and ninth in their last 11 games.

“The guys just kept playing hard the whole game,” said HPU head coach Scott Cherry. “I’m proud of the effort and the way this team has come together, playing different positions when guys have been out and overcoming the adversity we’ve gone through. We’ve played three games in the last five days and we’ll be able to get back into a routine and get ready to play Longwood on Saturday.”

Redshirt-sophomore John Brown led High Point with his sixth double-double of the season, getting team highs of 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Junior guard Devante Wallace scored 12 points with five rebounds and freshman Anthony Linduaer scored 11 points with three three-pointers.

Liberty was led by Antwan Burrus’s 15 points. Devon Marshall scored 11 and Tomasz Gielo scored 10 with seven rebounds.

HPU remained tied with VMI for the Big South North Division lead at 9-4 in league play. The Panthers improved to 13-13 overall, getting back to .500 for the first time since early December. Liberty fell to 9-19 overall and 3-10 in the Big South.

High Point was down 49-44 after Burrus hit a roller with 8:44 remaining before the Panthers went on a 15-0 run. Sophomore guard Haiishen McIntyre hit a pair of free throws to start it off with 7:57 left in the game. Brown re-entered the contest after missing the previous four minutes with an injury and immediately hit a layup.

The Panthers forced turnovers on the next two Liberty possessions, resulting in a layup by Lorenzo Cugini and a long jumper by Derrell Edwards. High Point’s next basket came on a kickout from Brown to Lindauer. Lindauer drained a three-pointer. Brown scored the next two baskets, the final one making it 59-49.

Liberty finally broke the run with a three-point play by Marshall that made it 59-52 with 2:40 remaining. After Cugini made a layup, Marshall drained a three-pointer from the left side to make it a six-point game (61-55). High Point went 6-of-8 from the free throw line in the last two minutes for the victory. The only threat came when Burrus hit a three-pointer to make it 66-60 with 44 seconds remaining, but that was the Flames’ final basket.

Liberty led 30-26 at halftime when Gielo hit a three-pointer in the last 10 seconds. The Panthers had four assists and seven turnovers in the first half before posting 10 assists with just three turnovers in the second half.

Brown averaged 4.7 assists in the last three games.

High Point travels to Longwood to face the Lancers on Saturday at 5 p.m. in Farmville, Va. HPU’s final two regular-season games are at the Millis Center as the Panthers host VMI on Wednesday, Feb. 26, and Campbell on Friday, Feb. 28. The Campbell game will be televised live on ESPNU.