HIGH POINT, N.C. - Presbyterian College held the lead for the first six minutes of the contest before High Point took over, running away to a 75-33 victory on Saturday evening at the Millis Athletic Center.
Junior forward Lea Smith (Marion, N.C./McDowell) was the first to score for either team when she rebounded her own missed shot and scored off a layup one minute into the game. Sophomore guard Amanda Mills (Oregon City, Ore./San Diego Mesa CC) sank a three-pointer two minutes later off a pass by point guard Katlin Moore (Fort Mill, S.C./Charlotte Catholic (N.C.)). Moore followed up a Panther trey with a mid-range jumper to give the Blue Hose a 7-4 lead with 16:16 remaining in the first half.
High Point's LaTeisha Dean floated one in for two to start a 9-0 Panther run over the next four minutes. Mills stopped the streak with her second shot from beyond the arc of the evening, narrowing High Point's lead to three (13-10).
The Panthers continued to build their lead throughout the first half, down to the last second. Frances Fields punctuated the half with a long-range jumper with one second left on the clock, sending both teams to the locker rooms with the Panthers up 35-17.
The second half didn't prove any easier for the Blue Hose as High Point opened up with a six-point scoring run. Sophomore forward Chelsea Wright (Atlanta, Ga./Whitefield Academy) scored the first PC points of the half with a layup four minutes into the action. Wright also broke a six-minute scoring drought for the Blue Hose by making both shots from the stripe, making it 56-21 with 10:18 left to play.
PC continued to fall behind before Mills made back-to-back threes with 1:35 remaining on the clock. An accidental High Point foul sent Smith to the line where she made both her shots to end the game, 75-33.
Mills finished the night with 12 points, all secured from beyond the arc, to lead the Blue Hose in scoring for the sixth time this season. Smith almost recorded a double-double with 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Wright was second in rebounds on Saturday, with eight off the glass. Freshman guard Kristen Stevens (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) had a career-high five assists.
High Point (9-10, 5-1 Big South) scored 33 points off the bench, with every member of head coach Tooey Loy's 13-man roster contributing. The Panthers scored 34 points off PC's 30 turnovers as Dean registered a game-high 15 points.
PC (2-14, 0-5 Big South) will return to the Tarheel state on Monday for a 7 p.m. matchup with Gardner-Webb.
