High Point MBB Defeats Air Force, 69-62, to Conclude Bimini Jam

• The Panthers went 2-1 at the Bimini Jam in the Bahamas
• Junior Jahaad Proctor was one shy of his career high with 28 points
• Senior Ricky Madison recorded his second-career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds

BIMINI, Bahamas — The High Point University men’s basketball team built a big lead in the second half and held on to defeat Air Force, 69-62, Monday night (Nov. 19) to conclude the Bimini Jam in the Bahamas. The Panthers finished 2-1 in the tournament, defeating South Dakota before falling to UMBC.

High Point (2-3) built a 20-point lead in the second half at 50-30, but Air Force (2-3) went on a 26-12 run to cut the Panther lead to six at 62-56 with 3:10 remaining. The Falcons once again cut the lead to six with 46 seconds remaining, but that was as close as they would come.

HPU shot 45.5 percent (25-55) compared to Air Force’s 40 percent (22-55) and held a rebounding advantage of 36-33.

“We shot the ball well and I can’t say enough about Ricky Madison and Jahaad Proctor,” HPU head coach Tubby Smith said. “They both were outstanding tonight with Ricky on the boards and Jahaad shooting the ball. I also thought our guys showed a lot of poise under duress when Air Force was coming back, but we didn’t fold. I give them (Air Force) a lot of credit for not quitting. They made some adjustments to our zone and made some jump shots down the stretch.”

Junior Ricky Madison had nearly a double-double in the first half with 12 points and eight rebounds, including six offensive boards. Madison finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds for his second-career double-double.

Junior Jahaad Proctor led all scorers with 28 points, one shy of his career high. It is the 11th time in his HPU career and third time this season he has scored 20 or more points.

In the first half, the Falcons cut the lead to four at 12-8, but HPU went on a 20-8 run over the next 7:17 to take a 32-16 lead. The Panthers took a 38-25 lead into the halftime break.

Air Force had three players in double figures, led by AJ Walker with 13.

The win was the 599th of Smith’s Division I coaching career.

Up next, the Panthers head to Greenville, N.C., to take on ECU on Saturday (Nov. 24). Tip-off is set for 5 p.m.