High Point MBB Opens Big South Play at Winthrop Saturday

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 30 | 2 p.m.
WHERE: Rock Hill, S.C. | Winthrop Coliseum (6,500)
RECORDS: High Point (5-6) | Winthrop (6-5)
SERIES RECORD: 42nd meeting, Winthrop leads, 27-14
LIVE STATS: Click here
VIDEO: Big South Network
LIVE AUDIO: High Point Panthers Radio Network
GAME NOTES: Click here

HIGH POINT, N.C. — The High Point University men’s basketball team (5-6) travels to Rock Hill, S.C., to take on Winthrop (6-5) in the Big South opener on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 30). Tip-off at the Winthrop Coliseum is set for 2 p.m.

Kevin Burke will be back on the call on the High Point Panthers Radio Network on Saturday, with pre-game coverage beginning approximately at 1:30 p.m.

PAW PRINTS
• High Point is 11-7 in conference openers since joining the Big South in the 1999-00 season. Last season, the Panthers defeated Gardner-Webb, 71-64, on Dec. 29, 2016 in Boiling Springs, N.C.
• This will be the 42nd all-time meeting between the two programs, with Winthrop leading 27-14. The two sides split the season series last year with both road teams coming away with wins. HPU won in Rock Hill, 83-80 in overtime, in the last meeting.
• High Point is coming off its first road win of the season, a 72-61 triumph, at Western Carolina on Dec. 19 in Cullowhee, N.C. Junior Andre Fox and sophomore Jahaad Proctor led the Panthers with 16 points each after HPU jumped out to a 17-5 lead to start the game and never looked back.
• Sophomore Jahaad Proctor scored 16 points while adding six rebounds and four assists against Western Carolina on Dec. 19 in his first start since Nov. 21. Proctor missed five games due to an injury and made his comeback against Wofford on Dec. 17, recording 11 points in 20 minutes.
• The Panthers are shooting 39.3 percent from 3-point range, which ranks 46th in the nation (second in the Big South), but have only taken 140 attempts from long range, the fewest of the nation. High Point’s point distribution comes mostly from the 2-point variety at 58.2 percent, the 12th-most in the nation.
• High Point ranks first in the Big South and 10th in the nation in steals per game with 9.7. The Panthers are also leading the conference in turnovers forced at 17.64 per game (16th in the nation) and turnover margin at +4.5 per game (22nd in the nation).

HISTORY vs. WINTHROP
This will be the 42nd meeting all-time between the two squads, with the Eagles leading the series, 27-14. The Panthers have won nine of the last 12 meetings and four of the last five in Rock Hill. The Panthers won the last meeting, 83-80 in overtime, on Jan. 28, 2017 in Rock Hill. Miles Bowman Jr. had 22 points to lead the Panthers. A layup from Ricky Madison and a three from Andre Fox kept HPU ahead in overtime as Winthrop pushed, while Madison blocked a Keon Johnson shot at the buzzer to seal the win.

A LOOK AT THE EAGLES (6-5)
Winthrop comes into the game after a 69-55 loss at VCU on Dec. 19. Xavier Cooks leads the Eagles with 16.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest. Cooks leads the Big South in rebounding. Winthrop has six players averaging 8.0 or more points per game, including Anders Broman, who is second on the team with 13.5 points a contest.

HISTORY vs. OPPONENTS FROM SOUTH CAROLINA
High Point has complied a 79-94 (.457) record all-time against Div. I programs hailing from the Palmetto State. HPU’s most common opponents are Winthrop (14-27), Coastal Carolina (16-21) and Charleston Southern (20-17). High Point is 50-52 against Big South programs from South Carolina and 29-42 against the rest of the state’s Div. I teams. The Panthers are 0-3 against teams from South Carolina so far this season, falling to The Citadel, College of Charleston and Wofford.

NEXT UP
The Panthers return home to face UNC Asheville on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. Tip-off at the Millis Center is set for 7 p.m.