CLINTON, S.C. -
Travis Smith canned a three-point shot with four seconds remaining to knot the
score, but Tehran Cox's lay-up at the buzzer guided High Point to a 63-61
come-from-behind win Thursday evening.
The Blue Hose (2-6, 0-1) were led by Jake Troyli's team-best 16 points as he was one of
three in double figures for the home team. Sophomore Chase Holmes netted 14
points while Khalid Mutakabbir drained 10. Smith added nine in the losing
effort. HPU (4-2, 1-0) was led by Nick Barbour's game-high 25 points.
Holmes' lay-up with four seconds remaining in the first half gave head coach
Gregg Nibert's team a 33-30 lead at the intermission. PC then built its lead to
eight at 39-31 with just 2:15 off the clock in the second half on
Holmes' bucket.
After the
lead had been whilttled down to three at 15:08 to play, the Blue Hose responded
with a 9-2 run to take a 50-40 lead at 10:27 on Zach Faircloth's short jumper
in the paint.
The Panthers stormed back, netting 15 of the next 19 points to take the lead
with 4:38 to play on Barbour's three-point shot.
The visitors widened the lead to three, but the Blue Hose eventually tied the
contest at 61 apiece on Smith's three-point bucket with five seconds to play.
However, Cox drove the length of the court, criss-crossing his way to the lane as
he laid the ball in as time expired for the win.
PC
connected for 47.2 percent shooting from the floor on 25-of-53, but managed
just to hit two-of-nine from behind the arc. The difference in the game came
from downtown as the visitors hit 11-of-21. In fact, the Panthers made just 10
two-point shots for the game.
In the
first half, the Blue Hose took a 33-30 lead after hitting 13-of-27 shots from
the floor. The squad forced seven turnovers and committed just four. However,
the big difference in the first period of play came in the paint. PC had 18
points in the paint compared to 10 for HPU. Troyli led the way with 12 points
in the first 20 minutes whiel Mutakabbir tallied seven. Walt Allen was busy,
connecting for six points, grabbing five rebounds and swatting two shots in 16
minutes of play in the first half.
PC will now
turn its attention to Radford. The Blue Hose host the defending Big South
Conference champions at 7:30 p.m. PC's women's basketball team plays Georgia State at 5 p.m., in the Templeton Center.
