Brown Sets Free Throw Record As HPU Men’s Basketball Falls To SFA

HIGH POINT, N.C. — Redshirt-sophomore John Brown went off for 27 points and 13 rebounds but the High Point University men’s basketball team fell short in a 71-68 loss to Stephen F. Austin State on Sunday afternoon at the Millis Center. Brown set a new HPU Div. I single-game record, going 11-for-11 from the free throw line.

“We didn’t play particularly well but the team was resilient, coming back from 13 down to take the lead in the second half,” said HPU head coach Scott Cherry. “There were a lot of little things like missing free throws, a lane violation and other things that put us in a hole. We came back and had chances late, which is what you want, and it came down to a few possessions.”

Brown’s 27 points were one shy of his career high. His 11-for-11 free-throw shooting performance bested the previous HPU Div. I record of 10-for-10 by Shay Shine against North Carolina Central on Feb. 7, 2011. Sophomore guard Adam Weary was also in double digits, shooting 6-for-9 from the floor for 15 points and sophomore forward Lorenzo Cugini grabbed nine rebounds in his first career start.

Stephen F. Austin had three double-digit scorers led by Deshaunt Walker, who scored 14 points with four three-pointers, three of which came in the second half. Nikola Gajic scored 12 points and Jacob Parker scored 10. Four SFA players had six rebounds.

High Point fell to 3-3 while Stephen F. Austin improved to 5-2.

Down five at halftime, High Point was still within five (46-41) when Brown nailed an alley-oop from Cugini with 15:47 to go. That’s when Stephen F. Austin went on its big run, outscoring the Panthers 15-2 over the next three minutes. That included three treys by Walker, the last of which made it 56-43. SFA was shooting 9-for-15 (60 percent) from beyond the arc at that point.

Down 13, High Point clawed back to take the lead. The Panthers scored eight-straight points, including six by Weary, to get within five (56-51). After SFA’s Trey Pinkney hit a free throw, HPU scored the next nine points to cap the 17-1 run with 4:55 to go. HPU junior Devante Wallace hit a wide-open three-pointer on a great pass from Cugini to tie it and Brown hit three free throws in a row to make it 60-57. The Lumberjacks were able to score the next five points on a pair of free throws by Parker and a trey from the left side by Pinkney and led the rest of the way.

SFA hit 10 three-pointers in the game, which was the main statistical difference. High Point shot 47.2 percent (25-for-53) from the floor and 73.7 percent (14-for-19) from the free-throw line.

High Point hits the road this Thursday when the Panthers take on Georgetown in Washington, D.C. The game is at 9 p.m. and will be televised live on Fox Sports 1, HPU’s first appearance on national TV this season.