HPU men’s basketball stymies Averett in opener, 74-41

• The Panthers limited the Cougars to 21.7 percent (13-60) from the floor, the lowest ever by an HPU opponent in the Div. I era
• HPU grabbed 59 rebounds – the third most in single-game program history
• Andre Fox (16), Anthony Lindauer (14) and Miles Bowman Jr. (11) scored in double figures

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men’s basketball team put forth a fantastic defensive effort during a 74-41 season-opening victory Saturday evening inside the Millis Center.

The Panthers swarmed, contested and stayed disciplined throughout the game, holding the Cougars to 21.7 shooting (13-60), including a 14.3 percent mark (3-21) from 3-point territory. The .217 mark by Averett marked the lowest field goal percentage by an HPU opponent in the program’s Div. I era.

With the victory, HPU improves to 66-24 all-time in season openers.

“It’s good to get these guys out in front of our fans and get them game experience,” head coach Scott Cherry said. “I thought our effort was excellent and we played really hard. We have to get better every day and not worry about the score. It’s a long year and we just need as much experience as we can get. I love our guys’ attitude and their approach. If they keep it up, we’ll be a very good basketball team by the time we get to March.”

Senior Anthony Lindauer started his final HPU season off on a strong note, notching a game-high 16 points while dishing out three assists. He made a career-best four 3-pointers and grabbed four rebounds in 29 minutes of work.

Sophomore Andre Fox added 14 points and a career-best eight rebounds, while redshirt-senior Miles Bowman Jr. chipped in 11 points and 10 rebounds to post the third double-double of his career.

Bowman Jr. was one of three Panthers with 10+ rebounds. HPU’s team total of 59 marked the third-highest rebounding total in program history.

Sophomore Ricky Madison grabbed a career-best 12 boards and registered eight points on the night, while freshman Cliff Thomas Jr. tallied 10 rebounds and added three points in 16 minutes.

Freshman point guard Jamal Wright was solid in his first start for the Panthers, posting eight points and a game-high four assists in 27 minutes.

HPU was +24 (59-35) on the glass overall and dished out 14 assists to the Cougars’ four. HPU also made 10 steals and forced 19 AU turnovers, leading to a 25-1 advantage in points off turnovers for the Purple & White.

HPU scored the first five points of the game, but Averett pulled within two (7-5) at the 16:29 mark of the opening half. HPU increased its lead to six (11-5) on a jumper from Wright and extended it to 10 (21-11) after back-to-back triples from Fox and Lindauer.

The Cougars moved within six (25-19) with 3:05 left in the period, but HPU closed the half on an 8-2 run, highlighted by six points from Fox. High Point entered the break ahead, 33-21, and limited Averett to just 25.0 percent (7-28) shooting in the stanza.

Lindauer hit a pair of 3-pointers to open the second half and the Panthers were off from there. HPU scored 17 of the period’s first 21 points to double up the Cougars (50-25) at the 12:31 mark of the half.

The Panthers extended the edge to 31 (62-31) on a 3-pointer from Lindauer and went ahead by 33 (71-38) on a lay-in from junior Jordan Whitehead with 2:10 to play in the game.

With the victory, HPU improves to 32-5 in its last 37 home games.

High Point now hits the road for the first of two games against ACC opponents during the non-conference slate. The Panthers will travel to Blacksburg, Va., to take on Virginia Tech Tuesday (Nov. 15) at 7 p.m. in Cassell Coliseum. The game will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra/ESPN3, while coverage on the High Point Panthers Radio Network will commence at 6:30 p.m.