HPU sweeps Winthrop this year

            High Point University won a home men’s basketball game on a night where HPU honored the all time winningest coach in program history.

            HPU defeated Winthrop University for the second time this season 63-58 in front of a raucous 1,449 in the Millis Center.  The win marks the first time HPU has swept WU in program history.

            “We are humbled to get any win.  I’m glad to get any win and hopefully we can spring board for this,” head coach Bart Lundy said.

            Leading the way for the Panthers (7-17, 2-11) was freshman guard Nick Barbour with 31 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor. Freshman guard Jacob Iati played a career high 31 minutes finishing with six points, four assists and five rebounds.  Four other HPU players were tied with six points apiece.

            Winthrop (6-18, 5-9) relinquished the lead 2:18 into the game and never held it again.  HPU stretched their lead to as many as 16 points with a Barbour fast break lay-up with 15:42 left in the game.

            WU slowly chipped into the deficit and brought it down to four points on a three-point play from Cameron Stanley to cap a 10-0 run for the Eagles with just under three minutes left.  Barbour made two free throws and Iati chipped in one of his own to finish the game for the Panthers.

            Following his second consecutive 30+ point scoring performance, Barbour said, “It was nice to know we can win the games if we can just do it.”

            Barbour and his teammates have had many close games this year.  HPU have gone 3-7 in games decided by eight or less points.

            “I’m proud of those guys.  The plays we haven’t been making we made down the stretch especially in the last 1:20 in this game,” Lundy said.

            Iati saw more time on the court because of foul trouble for freshman guard David Singleton who played 16 minutes compared to Singleton’s usual 28 minutes per game average.

            “I’ve been doing [late game situations] all day in practice.  I play against one of the best point guards in the conference in David Singleton [in practice].  He prepares me for stuff for this,” Iati said following the game.

            The Panthers were without the service of Gene Harris who did not dress for the game but was seated on the bench in street clothes.

            “[Harris not playing is] just an internal team deal. He’s great with the team, great with the coaching staff.  It was an internal suspension,” Lundy said about the absence of the junior guard.  Harris is averaging 12.3 points per game this season.

            The victory gives High Point its first victory against an NCAA Division I team at home and ends a six game home losing skid.

            At halftime, HPU honored Jerry Steele with the unveiling of a banner with his likeness on it.  Steele stood at half court with his wife Kitty and HPU athletics director Craig Keilitz.  During a standing ovation from the crowd, Steele blew kisses to the audience.  Steele is HPU’s all time winningest coach with 458 victories at HPU.  He is in the top 50 all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history with 609 victories from his time at both HPU and Guilford College.

            HPU travels to Boiling Springs, N.C. to play Gardner-Webb University on Feb. 14 at 2 p.m.  The game can be seen on MASN.

High Point falls to Winthrop

            High Point University fell to Winthrop University Saturday 62-54 in the Winthrop Coliseum.

 

            High Point (13-10, 5-4) could not muster a second half worthy of victory for the second straight year.  Winthrop (15-9, 6-3) now controls second place.

 

            The teams went into the game tied for second in the Big South.  HPU used a victory of Liberty to tie Winthrop after WU lost to Coastal Carolina.  Mike Jefferson paced the Panthers with 19 points while Arizona Reid finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and a team best four assists.

            Jefferson scored 18 points in the first half as the Panthers went into the break up 34-31.  Jefferson made three from deep.  The Panthers never led by more than four points the whole first half.

 

            The second half was a different story.  For the second straight year HPU gave up a half time lead in the Winthrop Coliseum.  The Panthers scored 20 points in the second half compared to the Eagles 31.

 

            Head coach Bart Lundy told highpointpanthers.com, “”This was a disappointing loss today.  We have steadily improved over the last several games and I thought today we took a bit of a step back. We needed to be tougher and play through some of our individual struggles. I thought we had problems finding any kind of flow in the second half.”

 

            High Point welcomes Big South leading UNC Asheville Wednesday night.  Game time is set for 7 pm in the Millis Center.