• Redshirt-senior John Brown led HPU with a season-high 30 points (10-14 FG) to go along with nine rebounds, five blocks, three assists, three steals and 0 turnovers
• High Point was +28 (52-24) in points in the paint, +9 (22-13) in points off turnovers and made a season-high 11 steals
• HPU opens Big South play Wednesday vs. Longwood (7 p.m.)
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Behind a stat-stuffing, 30-point performance from redshirt-senior John Brown, the High Point University men’s basketball team (4-2) earned an 82-72 win over Morgan State (2-4) on Saturday afternoon inside the Millis Center.
Brown poured in a season-high 30 points (10-14 FG, 10-12 FT) to go along with nine rebounds, five blocks, three assists, three steals and 0 turnovers in 33 minutes on the floor. With the extraordinary effort, Brown reached the 30-point plateau for the fourth time in an HPU uniform and moved his career points total to 1,800.
On the strength of Brown’s performance, HPU shot 55.9 percent (33-59) from the floor – its best effort in four games – and broke a 2-of-28 slump from 3-point territory, making 4-of-9 (.444) 3-point attempts.
HPU also made a season-high 11 steals and forced 16 MSU turnovers that led to 23 points. The Panthers held a whopping +28 (52-24) edge in points in the paint and generated a 14-2 edge in fast break points.
“This was a good team win,” head coach Scott Cherry said. “We had stretches where we played very well. We hit a little lull in the second half, but our guys are taking positive steps in the right direction. We need to build on this win as we begin conference play Wednesday.”
Senior Lorenzo Cugini added 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting (2-3 3pt FG) for High Point, while senior Adam Weary chipped in 10 points and two assists. Freshman guard Andre Fox tallied a career-best eight points on 4-of-6 shooting and junior guard Jorge Perez-Laham added a season-high six points (2-3 3pt FG) and two assists in 27 minutes on the floor.
Morgan State jumped out to a 10-4 lead and held a 15-12 edge at the 10:53 mark of the first half. The Bears continued to lead by three (25-22) with 5:54 to play in the opening stanza, but HPU responded with a 7-2 run, capped by a triple from Cugini, to move ahead 29-27. MSU rallied to re-take the lead at 35-32, but the Panthers ended the half on another 7-2 run to take a 39-37 lead into the break.
MSU tied the score at 47-47 on a 3-pointer with 16:51 to play in the game, but from there, HPU blitzed the Bears with a 14-2 run that opened up a 61-49 High Point lead with 11:30 to go. Brown had eight of the points during the surge.
Morgan State used an 11-1 run to cut the Panther lead to five (75-70) with 2:19 to play, but HPU scored seven of the game’s final nine points to close out the team’s 22nd win in its last 24 home games.
With the victory, head coach Scott Cherry became the first HPU skipper in Div. I history to reach the 100-win milestone. He joins Virgil Yow and Jerry Steele as the only coaches in High Point program annals to accomplish the feat.
“I want to thank Dr. Qubein and the administration for allowing me to continue to build and lead this program,” Cherry said. “We’ve accomplished some great things here, but the kids that have come through this program are the ones who have earned these wins. I owe a lot to my former players and my current guys for all they’ve contributed to our team.”
HPU opens its 2015-16 Big South slate with a home contest vs. Longwood on Wednesday (Dec. 2) at 7 p.m.. The Panthers will then play at Gardner-Webb on Dec. 5 before returning to non-conference play from Dec. 6-30. Wednesday’s game against the Lancers will air live on the Big South Network. Coverage on the High Point Panthers Radio Network begins at 6:30 p.m.