High Point MBB Panthers Fall on Road at Longwood, 55-51

• High Point fell to 3-2 in conference play with a 55-51 loss at Longwood
• Juniors Jahaad Proctor and Jamal Wright led the Panthers with 13 points each
• HPU is back in action Saturday night (Jan. 26) against UNC Asheville at 7 p.m.

FARMVILLE, Va. — The High Point University men’s basketball team dropped a close 55-51 decision on the road at Longwood Thursday night (Jan. 24) at Willett Hall.

Longwood (13-9, 3-4 Big South) held a 13-point lead with six minutes to go and led 52-46 with a minute to go, when the Panthers (10-9, 3-2 Big South) came back to cut the lead to two. Junior Jahaad Proctor made a layup with 44 seconds to go and High Point forced a turnover on the ensuing possession. Junior Jamal Wright scored with 28 seconds left to make the game 52-50.

After Longwood missed the front end of a one-and-one, the Panthers had a great chance to score but the close-range shot bounced off and that was as close as HPU would get.

“I was disappointed with our lack of concentration and ability to get the ball in the basket, and we topped it off by missing a layup at the end,” HPU head coach Tubby Smith said. “We ran some good offense, had the ball where we wanted it at times and played good defensively. We only turned the ball over nine times and took care of the ball better than we have in a long time, but you have to make the easy shots, or it’s going to be a long night.”

The Panthers ended the night shooting 29.0 percent (18-62) and held the Lancers to 33.3 percent from the field (18-54). Wright and Proctor led all scorers with 13 points each, while senior Ricky Madison grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

In the first half, the two teams combined to shoot 22.8 percent (13-57) and 5-31 from behind the arc (16.1 percent). The Panthers held the Lancers scoreless for eight and a half minutes in the middle of the period but could not take advantage as Longwood led 22-19 at the break.

Isaiah Walton led Longwood with 11 points.

Up next, the Panthers host UNC Asheville on Saturday (Jan. 26). Tip-off at the Millis Center is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.