• Redshirt-junior John Brown led HPU with a game-high 21 points (9-13 FG)
• With the victory, HPU has 10 league wins for the third-straight year and 19 wins overall for the third time in the program’s Div. I history
• HPU set a new Div. I game record for free throws without a miss (16-16) on Saturday
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Behind a hearty defensive effort on Valentine’s Day, the High Point University men’s basketball team (19-7, 10-4) powered past Campbell 63-51 on Saturday inside Gore Arena.
With CU holding a 41-40 lead with 10:48 to play, the Panthers held the Camels without a field goal over the next 8:30 of action to build a commanding 55-42 lead with two minutes to play. During the stout defensive sequence, HPU put together a 15-0 run that effectively sealed the victory for the Panthers.
HPU held Campbell (9-18, 3-11) to 35 percent shooting (14-40), including a 7-of-21 effort (.333) in the deciding second half. The Panthers forced 19 Camel turnovers that led to a 26-14 edge in points off turnovers for the game.
“I told our team that defense travels and I thought this was a great job by our kids to stay locked in to the defensive game plan,” head coach Scott Cherry said. “Different guys stepped up and did some good things. Austin White came off the bench and was great and Brian Richardson did a tremendous job to close the game. We were able to get John the ball and give him more opportunities than we have before against Campbell because the way they defend is challenging. A road win is great, especially when you hold a team to 51.”
The win moved HPU to 10-4 in league play and into a tie for first place with Charleston Southern. HPU has 10 league wins for the third-straight season and 19 victories overall for just the third time in the program’s Division I history.
The Panthers took the ball inside with a purpose and held a 30-14 edge in points in the paint. The Purple & White grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and were +4 (31-27) on the glass overall.
HPU was clutch at the line while setting a new Division I record for free throws without a miss (16-16). The previous high was a 10-of-10 effort set at Liberty on Jan. 26, 2008.
Redshirt-junior John Brown led the Panthers with 21 points (9-13 FG) and six rebounds in the game, while redshirt-senior Brian Richardson added 12 points (3-5 FG) and a season-best four steals. It marked Richardson’s first double-figure scoring effort since a 13-point performance at Winthrop on Jan. 3.
The Panthers scored 10 of the first 12 points of the game and led 17-7 after a second-effort jumper from Brown with 9:31 to play in the half. Campbell raced back with a 13-2 run to take a 20-19 lead with 4:20 to play, but triples from junior forward Lorenzo Cugini and Richardson moved HPU back in front by five (25-20) with 2:54 to play in the period.
The Panthers took a 27-24 lead into the break. HPU shot just 38.5 percent in the half but made 50.0 percent (3-6) of its 3-point attempts. The Panthers held a +4 (16-12) edge on the glass in the half, while Brown led HPU with 10 points (5-6 FG) in the stanza.
HPU surged in front by 11 (35-24) on the strength of an 8-0 run to begin the second half. The sequence included a 3-point play and difficult crossover jumper from Brown. From there, Campbell responded with an 18-5 run over the next 8:30 to re-take the lead at 42-40 with 8:39 to go in the game. But from there, HPU put together the game-clinching 15-0 run over the next nine minutes that put the Panthers up 55-42 with two minutes to play in the game.
The victory was HPU’s third straight over Campbell.
HPU returns to the Millis Center to take on Gardner-Webb (16-11, 8-6) Wednesday (Feb. 18) at 7 p.m. Pre-game coverage on the High Point Panthers Radio Network begins at 6:30 p.m.