HPU Women’s Basketball Panthers Cruise To 100-65 Win Over Davidson

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University women’s basketball team cruised to a 100-65 victory over Davidson College at the Millis Center on Sunday afternoon. The Panthers improve to 4-1 to start the season, their best start since 1996-97. Six Panthers scored in double figures led by freshman Kaylah Keys with 17 points.

“We set the tempo from the start with great pressure defense,” said head coach DeUnna Hendrix. “Davidson has played three games in six days so we knew we could run and pressure and hopefully force them to go to the bench. I am most proud of the balance we showed. Every person who got their name called executed the game plan.”

High Point is 4-1 on the season, marking the best start in the Div. I era. It is the best start for the Panthers since going 5-0 to open 1996-97 season. High Point scored 100 points for the first time since March 6, 2011, a 106-58 victory over UNC Asheville.

The Panthers shot 55.7 percent from the floor, improving to 57.9 percent (11-for-19) from three-point range in the win.

Keys led the team with 17 points, including 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the three-point arc. Redshirt-junior Lindsay Puckett added 14 points, including a career-high four tres. Freshman DeAnneisha Jackson scored 13 points with eight rebounds and redshirt-junior Stacia Robertson chipped in 13 points with five steals. Junior Latrice Phelps and freshman Teddy Vincent each added 10 points. It is the first time HPU has six double-digit scorers since Nov. 16, 2008 against Emory & Henry.

The first half was briefly tied 27-27 on a layup by Davidson’s Shneeka Center with 8:56 on the clock. Phelps grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on the put back to give HPU a 29-27 lead and start a 13-0 run. With five minutes left in the opening half High Point pushed the lead to 40-27 on a jumper by Keys. Shannon Eriksson hit a three for the Wildcats to end the run and make it a 40-30 game with three and a half minutes left in the half. Tremblay drained a long three pointer as the half expired to give High Point a 47-32 lead at the break.

The Panthers opened the second half with a 29-8 run to break the game open. Junior Lexi Patterson drained a pair of free throws to make it a 76-40 High Point lead with 12:05 on the clock. HPU’s biggest lead of the day was 45 (93-48) when Puckett grabbed a defensive rebound and went to score with 5:25 to play. Vincent was fouled by Center with 1:56 to play and made both free throws to put High Point over the century mark for the first time since 2011. High Point won the game 100-65.

High Point scored 36 points off 20 Davidson turnovers. The Panthers got nearly half their points, 48, from the bench and outrebounded Davidson 41 to 26 in the game. HPU also went 11-for-12 from the free-throw line.

High Point will have a week off before facing UNC Greensboro on the road on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. The Panthers are 13-11 all-time again UNCG. The teams last met on Dec. 7, 2010 with HPU picking up a 79-60 victory.