HIGH POINT, N.C. – The top-seeded High Point University men’s basketball team (21-9, 13-5) returns to the Big South semifinals for the first time since 2010-11 to battle No. 4 UNC Asheville (20-11, 12-6) on Saturday in Buies Creek, N.C.
Tip-off between the Panthers and Bulldogs is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on ESPN3, with Evan Lepler (play-by-play) and Ralph Patterson (color commentary) on the call. In addition, Kevin Burke and Stafford Stephenson also will call the game on the High Point Panthers Radio Network, with pre-game coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m.
PAW PRINTS
• High Point is 3-3 all-time vs. UNC Asheville in the Big South Championship. The teams last met in the tournament 2012.
• The Panthers are looking to advance to the Big South championship game for the first time in 12 years. HPU has made two Big South final appearances (2002, 2004: 0-2 record).
• The Panthers advanced to the 2016 league semifinals with an 89-78 win over Longwood on Friday inside Gore Arena. LWU led 56-55 with 10 minutes to play, but the Panthers were +12 (34-22) the rest of the way.
• Senior Adam Weary left Friday’s contest with a knee injury less than five minutes into the game. He is questionable for Saturday’s tilt. The Lou Henson National Player of the Week entered the game averaging 23.5 points, 6.0 assists and shooting 60.7 percent over HPU’s previous two games.
• In his absence, the Panthers received key contributions from a number of players. Redshirt-junior Miles Bowman Jr. set new career highs in points (19) and 3-pointers made (3) while adding seven rebounds.
• Bowman is averaging 15.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and shooting 65.7 percent (23-35) over HPU’s past four games.
• Senior Haiishen McIntyre chipped in a career-best 19 points and a season-high seven assists to go with four steals. He went 14-of-16 from the line, just one free throw short of the HPU record.
• McIntyre has 31 assists and two turnovers over HPU’s past eight games. That adds up to an absurd 15.5 assist/turnover ratio.
• With Friday’s quarterfinal victory, HPU improved to 11-14 (.440) all-time in the Big South Tournament and 8-7 all-time in the quarters. HPU is 2-5 all-time in the semifinals.
• HPU’s 21 wins this season are third-most in the program’s Div. I history. High Point has won 20 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1994-95/1995-96.
• High Point redshirt-senior John Brown is out for the remainder of the Big South Tournament with a right foot injury. Brown became the first player in league history to earn Big South Player of the Year and Big South Defensive Player of the Year in the same season.
HISTORY IN THE BIG SOUTH SEMIFINALS
HPU is 3-3 all-time in Big South semifinal action. The team’s last semifinal victory came in 2004, coincidentally over UNC Asheville, 63-49, in High Point (3/4/04). HPU is 0-1 in semifinal action all-time under head coach Scott Cherry, falling to UNC Asheville in Conway, S.C., on March 3, 2011. High Point reached the Big South final in 2002 and 2004 (0-2).
HISTORY vs. UNC ASHEVILLE
Saturday’s matchup vs. UNC Asheville will mark the 49th all-time meeting between the Panthers and Bulldogs. UNCA holds a 27-21 edge in the all-time series, although HPU has won the last four meetings (Asheville had won the previous six). The teams first met on Dec. 2, 1967, with HPU grabbing a 94-82 win in High Point. The Panthers won the only meeting between the teams this season, 73-69, on Jan. 20 inside the Millis Center. John Brown led High Point with 26 points and 10 rebounds in the game. Freshman Andre Fox (9 pts, 7 reb) and senior Haiishen McIntyre (8 pts, 4 ast) also played well in the contest.
HISTORY vs. UNC ASHEVILLE IN THE BIG SOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP
High Point won the first three meetings all-time with the Bulldogs in the Big South Championship. HPU won 72-71 in the quarterfinals in 2002, 63-49 in the semifinals in 2004 and 98-93 (OT) in the quarterfinals in 2005. The Bulldogs won, 83-74, in the first round in 2010, 62-45 in the semifinals in 2011 and 86-61 in the quarterfinals in 2012.
UP NEXT
With a victory, High Point would move on to its third Big South Championship game in program history. The game will be played Sunday (March 6) at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2.