• High Point improved to 6-5 for the season with a 79-61 win over North Carolina Wesleyan in the final non-conference home game of the season.
• Andre Fox recorded his fifth 20-point game of the season as part of a 21-point, five-rebound, five assist performance by the sophomore.
• HPU shot 42.1 percent from three, including 5-9 in the second half, for its fifth game over 40 percent from behind the arc this season.
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men’s basketball team used a 16-2 run spanning both halves to take control in the game against North Carolina Wesleyan on the way to a 79-61 win at the Millis Center on Friday night.
“It is always good to get a victory,” head coach Scott Cherry said. “We have a lot to get better at, but its just a matter of getting back to the practice floor and continuing to improve. We had some really good stretches tonight and we also had some stretches where we made a lot of mistakes. I thought some guys stepped up and made some shots. We did a better job of forcing tough shots in the second half and that allowed us to get our separation. We need to build on that.”
Sophomore Andre Fox posted his fifth 20-point game of the season with 21 points to lead the Panthers. Fox went 6-11 from the field, 3-6 from behind the arc and 6-6 from the free throw line while also adding in five assists, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Three other HPU players joined Fox in double figures on the night with senior Anthony Lindauer putting up 15, senior Tarique Thompson adding 11 and sophomore Ricky Madison scoring 10 to go along with a team-high seven rebounds. Freshman Jamal Wright finished with a career-high seven assists to lead the Panthers.
High Point outscored Wesleyan by 20 in the paint, 32-12, and finished with 39 rebounds compared to just 24 for the visitors. The Panthers improved to 6-5 on the season with the win.
Adrian Moore entered the game averaging nearly 22 points per game for North Carolina Wesleyan, but was held to four points on 1-7 shooting. Justin Tankelwicz led the Battling Bishops with 16 points on 5-11 shooting while Chris Braswell chipped in 11.
High Point and North Carolina Wesleyan were all tied at 29-29 with 1:40 to play in the first half before HPU scored the final six points of the period. Redshirt-senior Miles Bowman Jr. hit a layup followed by a jumper from junior Austin White and two free throws by Fox.
The Panthers carried their strong end to the first half into the second, scoring the first five points of the half and 10 of the first 12 to extend their advantage to double figures at 45-31 three minutes into the period.
High Point outscored Wesleyan by 18 over the next 14 minutes, building the lead to 24, 79-55, with 2:27 left to play before the Battling Bishops scored the final six points of the contest. After going 3-10 from behind the arc in the first half, HPU went 5-9 in the second to finish over 40 percent from three for the fifth time in 11 games.
The Panthers wrap up non-conference play with a road contest at Western Carolina on Monday, Dec. 18, in Cullowhee, N.C. Tip in the game is set for 7:30 p.m., following the conclusion of a Catamount women’s basketball contest.