High Point MBB plays at Campbell Wednesday

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men’s basketball team (13-7, 6-3) will head to the site of the 2016 Big South Championship to battle Campbell (8-11, 2-7) Wednesday in Gore Arena.

Tip-off in Buies Creek between the Panthers and Camels is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday’s game will be broadcast live on the Big South Network. In additon, Kevin Burke and Stafford Stephenson will call the game on the High Point Panthers Radio Network, with pre-game coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m.

PAW PRINTS
• HPU is 6-1 in its past seven games against the Camels.

• Last time out, the Panthers lost at Liberty, 69-67, on a runner with two seconds to play. The Flames hit 13-of-27 3-pointers in the game (.481).

• The Panthers have dropped three of their past four contests in league play. During the stretch, HPU is shooting 41.9 percent from the floor and 25.9 percent from 3-point range. Panther foes are at 49.8 percent shooting (44.2 percent from 3-point land).

• HPU is 11-4 in games following a loss since the start of the 2014-15 season, including a 4-2 mark this season.

• Redshirt-senior John Brown led HPU with 22 points (9-14 FG) vs. Liberty. He is averaging 24.0 points and shooting 66.7 percent (20-30) in HPU’s past two contests.

• Anthony Lindauer (13), Adam Weary (12) and Lorenzo Cugini (10) also hit double figures vs. the Flames. Weary made a game-high seven assists and moved into fifth place on the all-time HPU assists list in the process (265 career assists).

• HPU made 12-of-20 free throw attempts (.600) in the setback at Liberty. The Panthers are shooting 75.6 percent from the line in wins this season, but only 68.8 percent in losses.

• Brown is the nation’s No. 2 active scorer (2,074 points) and is first amongst all players nationally in career field goals made (797). With his 18th point at Liberty, Brown moved past Arizona Reid and into third-place on the all-time HPU scoring list. He is 48 points away from second place (first in Div. I history).

• With three field goals vs. Campbell, Brown will become the second player in HPU history, fourth in Big South annals and only active Div. I student-athlete to make 800 career field goals.

• Senior Lorenzo Cugini led the nation in 3-point percentage from Jan. 4-20 but is currently in a 2-for-13 slump (.154) over the past three games. Cugini is shooting 53.3 percent from deep on the year.

BROWN SIXTH ON BIG SOUTH ALL-TIME SCORING LIST
With his 2,074 career points, redshirt-senior John Brown is sixth on the Big South all-time scoring list, wedged between fellow Panthers Nick Barbour (5th, 2,121) and Arizona Reid (7th, 2,069). On his current pace, Brown will end his career as the No. 2 scorer in league history.

SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE 3-POINTER
A common theme in HPU losses this season has been hot and timely 3-point shooting by Panther foes. HPU is 2-3 when its opponent makes at least 10 triples this season and during the team’s current 1-3 slump, Panther foes have shot at least 43 percent from deep in all three losses. HPU also lost in the final three seconds at NC State and at William & Mary on clutch 3-pointers from Cat Barber and Daniel Dixon, respectively.

A LOOK AT THE CAMELS (8-11, 2-7)
Campbell was picked to finish 10th in the Big South preseason poll and currently sits in 11th with a 2-7 league mark. The Camels won two of their first three league games, including victories over Coastal Carolina (79-73) and at Winthrop (90-83), but have since dropped six straight. Campbell is led by Big South Freshman of the Year favorite Chris Clemons, who averages a team-high 18.1 points and shoots 38.7 percent from 3-point range. Clemons is one of four Camels that averages at least 10 points. Sophomore guard Troy Harper chips in 13.3 points per contest, while senior D.J. Mason adds 11.6 points and ranks second in the Big South with 7.9 rebounds per game. Junior Kyre’ Hamer averages 10.0 points and leads the team with 2.2 assists per contest.

HISTORY vs. CAMPBELL
Wednesday’s matchup with Campbell will mark the 51st all-time meeting between the Panthers and Camels. HPU leads the all-time series 30-20 (.600) and has captured six of the past seven meetings. The Purple & White are 6-2 against Campbell since the Camels re-joined the Big South in 2011-12 and have won two of the past three contests played in Buies Creek. HPU swept both meetings last season, including a 69-62 win in High Point on Jan. 10 and Valentine’s Day victory inside Gore Arena (63-51). Lorenzo Cugini averaged 16 points in the two meetings last season and shot a combined 8-of-10 (.800) from 3-point range against the Camels.

HISTORY vs. IN-STATE OPPONENTS
High Point has complied a 326-269 (.548) record all-time against Div. I programs hailing from the Tar Heel State. HPU’s most common opponents are Elon (86-76, .531), Appalachian State (60-36, .625) and Western Carolina (40-22, .645). The majority of those meetings came during the NAIA era. High Point is 77-70 (.524) against Big South programs from North Carolina and 249-199 (.556) against the rest of the state’s Div. I teams. HPU is 4-1 this season, with victories over Western Carolina (75-69), UNCG (90-72), UNC Asheville (73-69) and at Gardner-Webb (66-64). The Panthers fell at NC State, 73-70.

UP NEXT
High Point returns home after a week-long competitive hiatus to battle Gardner-Webb on Wednesday (Feb. 3) at 7 p.m. inside the Millis Center.