No. 5 HPU MBB Faces No. 4 Gardner-Webb in Big South Quarters Thursday

No. 5 High Point vs. No. 4 Gardner-Webb

WHEN: Thursday, March 7 | 8 p.m.
WHERE: Buies Creek, N.C. | Gore Arena
SERIES RECORD: 58th meeting, HPU leads, 29-28
LIVE STATS: Click Here
AUDIO: High Point Panther Radio Network
VIDEO: ESPN3
GAME NOTES: Click Here

HIGH POINT, N.C. — The High Point University men’s basketball team (16-14, 9-7 Big South) opens up postseason play on Thursday night (March 7) as the No. 4 seed against fifth-seeded Gardner-Webb in the Big South Tournament quarterfinals in Buies Creek, N.C. Tip-off at Gore Arena is scheduled for 8 p.m. or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the No. 1 Campbell/No. 8 Hampton matchup. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

PAW PRINTS
• The winner will advance to the Big South Tournament semifinals on Friday night at 8 p.m. against the winner of Campbell and Hampton.
• High Point is 11-17 overall in the Big South Tournament and 8-7 in the quarterfinals. HPU is 1-2 against Gardner-Webb in the Big South Tournament.
• This will be the 58th all-time meeting between the two programs, with High Point leading the series by a slim 29-28 advantage. Both home teams won during the regular season with the Runnin’ Bulldogs taking the first meeting, 69-67, on Jan. 30 and the Panthers winning, 87-79, Feb. 23 at the Millis Center.
• Last time out, the Panthers picked up a 79-74 victory at UNC Ashville on Saturday (March 2) in Asheville to earn the No. 5 seed and a bye in the Big South Tournament. HPU poured on the pressure, forcing four turnovers in an 18-4 second-half run that turned the game around for High Point.
• Senior Ricky Madison recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds. In his last six games he is averaging 13.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. He leads the Big South with 3.4 offensive rebounds per game and is second with 8.5 boards a contest.
• Junior Jahaad Proctor was named the Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year as well as to the all-conference second team. Proctor is third in the Big South with 19.3 points per game, fourth in field goal percentage (.464), fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5), eighth in assists (3.3) and eighth in free throw percentage (.764).
• Proctor is 11 points shy of becoming the 11th Division I player in HPU history to score 1,000 career points and the 34th overall in program history.
• Senior and former walk-on Jordan Whitehead is averaging 10.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in the last five games. Whitehead had a career-high 15 points the last time HPU faced Gardner-Webb.
• High Point leads the Big South and ranks 10th in rebounding margin at +7.1 rebounds per game.
• HPU scores 56.1 percent of its points from 2-point field goals, the 19th-highest ratio in the country.
• Tubby Smith is 38-21 (.644) all-time in conference tournaments as a collegiate head coach. He has coached in 10 conference finals and won five with Kentucky.

HISTORY vs. GARDNER-WEBB
This will be the 58th all-time meeting between the two teams. High Point picked up an 87-79 win in the last meeting on Feb. 23 at the Millis Center to break a deadlock in the series. HPU now owns a 29-28 advantage in the series. Ricky Madison had a career-high 23 points to go along with 12 rebounds, while junior Jahaad Proctor added 16 in the Panthers’ win. The Runnin’ Bulldogs won the first meeting this season, 69-67, on Jan. 30 in Boiling Springs.

HISTORY vs. IN-STATE OPPONENTS
High Point has complied a 341-281 (.548) record all-time against Division I programs hailing from the Tar Heel State. HPU’s most common opponents are Elon (86-76), Appalachian State (60-36) and Western Carolina (42-23). The majority of those meetings came during the NAIA era. High Point is 88-80 (.524) against Big South programs from North Carolina and 253-201 (.557) against the rest of the state’s Div. I teams. HPU is 6-2 this season against Division I opponents from North Carolina with wins against East Carolina, Western Carolina, UNC Asheville (twice), Campbell and Gardner-Webb and a loss to Gardner-Webb and Campbell.

TUBBY SMITH vs. GARDNER-WEBB
This will be the third time HPU head coach Tubby Smith has faced the Runnin’ Bulldogs in his head coaching career, with both previous meetings taking place earlier this year.

A LOOK AT THE RUNNIN’ BULLDOGS
Gardner-Webb comes into the postseason with a 20-11 overall record and a 10-6 mark in Big South play. The Runnin’ Bulldogs won five of their last six games to earn the No. 4 seed. The only game they lost in that stretch was at High Point. David Efianayi was named to the All-Big South Second Team and led GWU with 18.7 points per game. Jose Perez was named to the Big South All-Freshman Team, averaging 15.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

NEXT UP
The winner will advance to the Big South Tournament semifinals on Friday at 8 p.m. against the winner of the No. 1 Campbell/No. 8 Hampton matchup.