• The Panthers end the season with a program-record 22 wins.
• Junior Camryn Brown led HPU with 19 points.
• Senior Emma Bockrath finished her HPU career first in
ATHENS, OHIO – The High Point University women’s basketball team fell to Ohio, 74-81, in the first round of the WNIT Thursday, March 21.
High Point (22-9, 15-3) out-shot Ohio (28-5, 14-4) 46.0 percent (29-63)-44.6 percent (29-65). The Panthers logged 37 rebounds, 13 assists and 10 steals. HPU was 7-19 (36.8 percent) from three. Ohio finished with 38 rebounds, 14 assists and 10 steals.
“I was proud of them,” HPU head coach DeUnna Hendrix said. “This is one of the best mid-majors in the country. Would I like to end with a win, absolutely, but I just wanted our kids to play hard. I felt like we played hard for 40 minutes. I felt like the huddles were locked in. I felt like we were receiving and giving good energy. To me, it’s a win because that’s really what I assess.”
Junior Camryn Brown led the Panthers with 19 points, while senior Bria Gibson added 17 points and a team-high five rebounds. Freshman Skyler Curran scored 13 points and dished out three assists. Seniors Emma Bockrath and Shea Morgan both tied the team-high with three assists.
The Bobcats opened the third quarter with an 8-2 run to take a 50-43 lead. The Purple & White ended the third on an 18-8 scoring run to take a 61-58 lead after three quarters. The Bobcats out-scored the Panthers 23-13 in the fourth quarter to solidify the game.
High Point trailed 22-23 after the first quarter. The Purple & White opened the second quarter with an 8-3 run to take a 30-26 lead. The teams traded baskets until Ohio closed the half on a 9-3 run to take a 41-42 lead going into the break.
The Panthers out-shot the Bobcats 59.3 percent (16-27)-51.6 percent (16-31) in the first half. HPU grabbed 14 rebounds and eight steals, while Ohio had 13 boards and four steals at the half. Brown scored 11 points in the first half.
The Panthers set the program record for wins in a regular season and tied the program record for total wins with 22. Bockrath ended her career with 1616 points, 747 rebounds, 339 assists and 243 steals. She is first in program history in career steals (243) and career starts (123). The Dayton, Ohio native finishes her career second in HPU history in scoring (1616), third in field goals made (610) and rebounds (747), fourth in assists (339) and sixth in free throws made (258).
Senior Lindsey Edwards closed her career with 1,038 points and 470 rebounds, while Morgan logged 991 points and 622 rebounds. Senior Bre Davis recorded 126 points and 57 assists in her two seasons at HPU, while Gibson scored 285 points and grabbed 158 rebounds in her only season for the Panthers.