High Point MBB Defeats South Dakota, 60-56, in Bimini Jam

• The Panthers won their first game in the Tubby Smith era, taking down South Dakota, 60-56
• HPU made four defensive stops at the end of the game to come back and win
• Sophomore Tim Cameron had 14 points off the bench

BIMINI, Bahamas — Behind a strong second half, the High Point University men’s basketball team picked up its first win on the season, defeating South Dakota, 60-56, Friday night (Nov. 16) at the Bimini Jam. It was the first win under new head coach Tubby Smith.

South Dakota (2-1) took a 56-54 lead with 1:43 remaining, but the Panthers (1-2) held the Coyotes scoreless on their four possessions to come back. Junior Jahaad Proctor hit 3-of-4 free throws to give HPU the lead and a sophomore Tim Cameron layup with the shot clock winding down put the Purple & White up three with 27 seconds left. Cameron added a free throw with four seconds left to close out the game.

The Panthers shot 52.2 percent (12-23) in the second half, compared to 34.8 percent (8-23) in the first. HPU held a 30-26 advantage in rebounds and led in steals, 7-3. South Dakota shot 44.4 percent for the game (20-45).

“We stopped turning over the ball with only four in the second half and also our defense helped pull us back,” Smith said. “We were able to make some big stops in a row late and that helped us put some pressure on them.

“Tim Cameron came off the bench and had a huge game. I love his energy and he’s excited to be out here after sitting out a year.”

Junior Jahaad Proctor shot 5-of-6 in the second half to lead the Panthers with 18 points overall. Cameron recorded 14 points and six rebounds in his best game yet for the Purple & White. Freshman Curtis Holland III made his Panther debut, tallying four steals to go along with five points.

South Dakota had a 10-point lead at 47-37 with 10:50 in the second half, but HPU went on a 10-2 run to cut the lead to two at 49-47. High Point went on another 7-0 run to tie the game at 54 and set up the final stretch of the game.

In the first half, the Coyotes lead by nine with 14:20 remaining, but the Panthers clawed back and took their first lead with 6:27 left at 18-17. South Dakota came back with a 9-2 run and finished the half with a 30-25 lead.

South Dakota was led by Trey Burch-Manning with 20 points.

Up next, the Panthers take on UMBC, who defeated Air Force, 77-72 in double overtime, on Saturday at 8:30 p.m.