Men’s Basketball Loses at High Point
HIGH POINT, N.C. - A 27-8 run to end the first half propelled the High Point University's men's basketball team to a 96-62 win over Mars Hill in exhibition action on Saturday night at the Millis Center. Three players finished in double figures for the Panthers in the win.
Chaney and Derrell Edwards each finished with 16 points to lead HPU. Chaney also posted six rebounds and a pair of blocks. Justin Cheek chipped in with 14 points and Dejaun McGaughy came off the bench to score nine points with team highs of seven rebounds and five assists.
Daron Guyton led Mars Hill with 18 points and Carter Wright finished with 12 for the Lions.
HPU opened the game in an explosive fashion with John Brown scoring on an alley-oop from Jairus Simms. After the impressive start, HPU began to struggle offensively until Edwards and Branimir Mikulic hit back-to-back three pointers to give the Panthers an early 9-2 lead.
The Panthers' defense was instrumental in taking the early advantage. HPU held the Lions without a field goal until Guyton hit a three-pointer at 14:11 made the score 13-7. High Point still led by six (18-12) when Mars Hill scored five quick points to close within a point with 10:45 remaining.
With the lead still at one (20-19), a three-point play by Simms sparked a 27-8 High Point run to close the half and the game was never in question after that. Edwards and Simms each scored six points in the run to help the Panthers take a 47-27 lead at the half. High Point held Mars Hill to just 25 percent (7-for-28) shooting in the opening 20 minutes.
In the second half, High Point built its lead to as large as 37 (96-59) with 24 seconds remaining before a late Mars Hill three made the final score 96-62.
The Panthers dominated the boards in the game, finishing with a 52-31 advantage. High Point outscored Mars Hill 48-16 in the paint and had a 21-12 edge in second chance points. Six players combined to score 33 points off the bench for HPU led McGaughy's nine. The Panthers finished with 18 assists on 35 made baskets.
Mars Hill will host Randolph College on November 8, in another exhibition game. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.