The Presbyterian College men's basketball team rallied back from a double-digit deficit to cut the margin to eight late in the game, but could not get any closer, dropping a 67-58 Big South game at High Point Saturday night at Millis Center in High Point, N.C.
The Blue Hose fall to 9-20 overall and 5-11 in the Big South, while the Panthers improve to 21-7, 12-4. PC returns home for the final time this season as it hosts Coastal Carolina, Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m., at the Templeton Center.
High Point jumped out to a 4-0 lead before six in a row from PC, four coming from Jordan Downing off a three-pointer and free throw, gave the Blue Hose the early 6-4 lead, 16 and a half to go in the half. The Panthers responded with an 8-2 run, which included three-pointers by Lorenzo Lugini and Anthony Lindauer, to take a 12-8 lead.
Four more from Downing helped the Blue Hose rally back to a 14-14 tie, but back to back High Point three-pointers from Lindauer his second of the night, and Haiishen McInture propelled the home team to the 20-14 lead. Marcus Terry hit a jumper at 9:44, but it was the Panthers with the next four to build a 24-16 lead, eight and a half to go before the break.
A Downing lay-up at 5:27 cut the HPU lead to five, 28-23, but the Panthers rattled off 11 of the game's next 17 points to take their largest lead of the half, 39-29, off a dunk by John Brown at 1:10.
Neither team would score the remainder of the half as High Point went into the locker room with the 39-29 lead.
Baskets by William Truss and Downing to open the second half cut HPU's lead to six with just over 18 to play. High Point's Brian Richardson scored the next five in a row, while Adam Weary added a three-pointer at the 15 minute mark to give the home team its largest lead of the game, 47-33,
PC cut High Point's 14-point, 53-39, lead to 11 off a Markus Terry, his first of the night, but Cugini made it 14 again off another three, his second.
The Blue Hose would not go away as they took a 63-50 deficit and turned it into single digits off back to back scores from DeSean Murray to make it 63-54, 3:58 remaining. After a back and forth battle PC cut the lead to eight, 65-57, off a Terry lay-up with just 1:12 left.
That would be as close as the team would get as High Point hit just enough free throws, with PC unable to capitalize on its possessions, to preserve the 67-58 win.
Downing finished with 23 points off a three-for-nine effort from beyond the three-point arc. He was followed by Terry with 12 points and Murray with 12. Truss pulled down a team-high nine boards for the Blue Hose. Brown led High Point with 17 points and seven rebounds.
PC shot 43.1% from the field and was four-of-19 from the three-point arc. The Blue Hose pulled down 28 rebounds and turned the ball over 10 times. The Panthers were 50.0% from the field and connected on six three-pointers. The Panthers pulled down 34 boards and posted nine turnovers.
