High Point Men’s Hoops Hosts Thomas University Sunday Inside Millis

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men’s basketball team (8-3) returns from an eight-day holiday break to host Thomas University (Ga.) on Sunday inside the Millis Center.

Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday’s game will be broadcast live on the Big South Network. Streaming audio of the game also will be available on the High Point Panthers Radio Network featuring Kevin Burke. Casey Ellis and Kirsten Ellis will have the call on BSN.

The Panthers are off to their best start in the program’s Division I era. It’s the first time HPU has begun the season 8-3 since the 1995-96 campaign. HPU has tallied eight non-conference wins for the first time since 2007-08 when the Panthers captured nine non-conference victories.

High Point has posted a 23-8 (.742) record in the Millis Center since the start of the 2012-13 season. The Panthers have won 10-straight home games dating back to last season. The Purple & White will play four of their next five games inside the Millis Center. HPU is 3-0 at home in 2014-15. The Panthers are shooting 60.6 percent (97-160) at home but are just 11-of-35 (.314) from beyond the arc. That means HPU has made 68.8 percent (86-125) of its 2-point field goals at home this season.

Last time out, HPU won at James Madison, 80-71, on Dec. 20 inside the JMU Convocation Center. Trailing 61-58 with seven minutes to play, the Panthers exploded for a 10-0 run to take a 68-61 lead and never looked back, as JMU could not move closer then six (70-64) over the final three minutes of action.

Redshirt-junior forward John Brown posted 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half while adding eight rebounds and three steals against the Dukes.

Brown leads the Big South in field goal percentage (.574) this season and is ranked No. 26 in the nation in field goals made (78). Brown is also No. 34 nationally in field goal percentage and 37th in points per game (18.3).

A LOOK AT THE NIGHT HAWKS (11-1)
NAIA opponent Thomas University is off to an excellent start to its 2014-15 campaign, having won 11 of its first 12 games. Thomas is ranked No. 20 in the NAIA Division II national poll and was picked to finish out of nine teams in the competitive Sun Conference, which currently features four ranked programs. The Night Hawks are coming off an 81-73 win over Coastal Georgia on Dec. 16 in Thomasville, Ga. In its only matchup with a DI opponent this season, Thomas fell at Big South foe Gardner-Webb, 82-66, on Dec. 6 in Boiling Springs. The Night Hawks are led by senior forward Alan Love who paces the team with 18.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Adonai Rogers is averaging 16.7 ppg and is shooting 48.7 percent from the field. Sophomore guard TJ Rines leads the team with 2.6 assist per contest.

HISTORY vs. THOMAS UNIVERSITY
Sunday’s matchup will mark the first ever meeting between High Point and Thomas University in men’s basketball.

HPU RPI CONTINUES TO HIT NEW HEIGHTS
The Panthers are ranked No. 61 out of 351 NCAA Division I teams in the Dec. 24 RPI report.

UP NEXT
HPU opens Big South play against the conference’s pre-season favorite Coastal Carolina (9-3) on New Year’s Eve inside the Millis Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the Big South Network. Streaming audio on the High Point Panthers Radio Network begins at 6:30 p.m.