Brown¹s Career Night Lifts HPU Women’s Basketball to 81-72 Win at UNCG

• Sophomore Camryn Brown hit 5-of-6 from downtown and scored a career-high 28 to lead the Panthers to the win.
• High Point used a 13-1 run early in the fourth quarter to gain control after erasing a 15-point second-quarter deficit.
• The win gives the Panthers a 15-14 edge in the all-time series with UNCG and a 6-5 record headed into Big South play.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Sophomore Camryn Brown started on fire and kept it going all night to lead the High Point University women’s basketball team to an 81-72 victory at UNCG on Thursday night in Fleming Gymnasium.

The Panthers (6-5) trailed by as many as 15 in the second quarter but chipped away to even the score at 59-all headed into the fourth. In the final frame, HPU held the Spartans (5-9) without a basket for a four-minute stretch while pulling away with a 13-1 run behind Brown and senior Kat Harris.

Brown shot 5-of-6 from beyond the arc en route to a career-high 28 points while also grabbing a career-best seven boards to go with five assists. Meanwhile, Harris notched 19 on the strength of three three-pointers.

“I challenged them at halftime because I hate losing this big rivalry game and I thought we did a better job and showed pride to fight back after halftime,” head coach DeUnna Hendrix said. “It’s not just Cam’s offensive game that was impressive tonight, it’s also her leadership. She is a competitor who is growing and developing, but when she is confident there’s not much that can get in her way.”

UNCG came out on fire early hitting 8-of-16 field goal attempts and scoring 27 points in the first quarter. However, the Panthers’ defense stepped up the rest of the way holding the Spartans to 42.1 percent shooting overall and just 2-of-16 from beyond the arc in the victory.

Rounding out the Panthers’ three double-digit scorers, junior Shea Morgan scored 10 on 5-of-7 shooting as the Purple & White hit 30 of their 56 attempts (53.6 percent).

Behind Brown and Harris, HPU shot a 52.9 percent (9-17) from three-point land to overcome UNCG’s 22-of-30 night from the charity stripe.

Junior Emma Bockrath fouled out in 30 minutes, but provided nine points, four rebounds and two assists before her disqualification. Similarly, freshman Jiselle Thomas made the most of her 10 minutes scoring seven points on the night.

Defensively, the Panthers scored 21 points off 18 UNCG turnovers to overcome the Spartans’ 31-25 edge on the glass and 38-32 margin in paint points.

Brown started fast drilling two three-pointers on the first two possessions before UNCG responded with a 25-8 run to take a 27-14 lead after 10 minutes of action.

From there, the Spartans’ lead grew as large as 15 at 38-23 with 6:05 left in the half. However, Harris and the Panthers responded as the senior scored the final six points of a 10-3 run as HPU cut the halftime deficit to eight, 41-33.

Out of the break, High Point kept chipping away and pulled even at 43-43 on a Bockrath layup at the 5:35 mark in the third. The visitors finally retook the lead as Brown drilled another trifecta to give HPU a 54-53 edge with a minute left in the third.

Brown opened the scoring in the fourth with a three-pointer before UNCG tied it at 59-all with a jumper at the 8:36 mark. Then, the HPU defense took over. The Panthers kept the Spartans without a field goal for the next 4:03 while building a 71-60 edge with 5:14 to play.

For the rest of the night, the Spartans couldn’t get any closer than six as Harris tallied six points down the stretch to close out an 81-72 victory.

The Panthers are back after the New Year to open Big South action in the Millis Center against Gardner-Webb on Tuesday, Jan. 2 at 7:00 p.m.