HPU Women’s Basketball Travels To Davidson On Tuesday At 7 p.m.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University women’s basketball team will look to make it two wins in a row as they travel to Davidson to take on the Wildcats at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night.

Last time out: The Panthers fell behind the visiting William & Mary Tribe, but were able to make a huge comeback and take the win 87-80 in overtime at the Millis Center on Sunday. The 87 points were the most this season by HPU and the most since the team scored 94 against Liberty last season (94-89, Jan. 30, 2014).

Sophomores DeAnneisha Jackson and Kaylah Keys played key roles as the team erased the 12-point deficit midway through the second half. Jackson posted her third double-double of the season while racking up 20 points, a career high, to go with 10 rebounds. Keys also scored 20 points on the strength of four threes to go with five assists and three steals.

Senior Latrice Phelps bolstered the frontcourt production with 17 points and nine rebounds after redshirt-senior Stacia Robertson suffered an injury early in the second half. Despite playing only 21 minutes, Robertson produced eight points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

HPU’s relentless effort inside resulted in 12 offensive rebounds, 19 second-chance points and a 30-of-38 (78.9 percent) day at the free throw line. The Panthers had 12 turnovers in the first half against the Tribe’s pressing defense, but settled down and only turned it over six times in the second half and overtime combined in route to victory.

The Opponent: Like High Point, Davidson is also 2-2, but has won its last two games with a 68-67 win at Gardner-Webb and a 67-62 home win on Sunday against Mount Saint Mary’s. Those wins came after suffering loses to Furman (60-67) and Southern California (99-64) to start the year.

The Wildcats also trailed by double digits in their win on Sunday but erased a 10-point halftime deficit. Junior Hannah Early led the way scoring 16 points and pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds.

Early and freshman forward Mackenzie Latt, who each average just over 15 points and nine rebounds a game, lead the Wildcats. Despite being the team’s tallest starter, Early leads the team with nine 3-pointers made on 23 attempts this season. Latt is more of an inside presence, shooting 59 percent from the floor while also leading the team in assists with three per game. Junior Dakota Dukes, another forward, is third on the team with 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Although the team is led by its frontcourt, Davidson has attempted just 67 free throws while its opponents have 96 trips to the charity stripe this season. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are averaging 17.7 offensive rebounds and five blocks per game, but are prone to turnovers with 19.5 per contest.

Panther Notes:
• DeAnneisha Jackson led the way against William & Mary with 20 points and 10 rebounds. It marked a career high in points and was her third double-double in four games this season. The sophomore has notched double-doubles in five of her last six games stretching back to last season. She is the first High Point player to open the season with back-to-back double-doubles in the HPU Div. I era.

• Sophomore Kaylah Keys chipped in with her second 20-point game of the season on Sunday. Keys has now scored 20 points 14 times in just 37 games at HPU.

• Stacia Robertson and sophomore DeAnneisha Jackson both recorded double-doubles in the Panthers’ loss at ETSU on Monday. Robertson went for a career-high 29 points and 13 rebounds while Jackson posted a, then, career-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. It is the first time that HPU has had two players record a double-double in one game this season. The last time two HPU players recorded a double-double in the same game was when Robertson and Jackson both recorded double-doubles against Winthrop in the Big South Championship.

• Stacia Robertson has 63 points and 35 rebounds through the first four games this season, giving her 831 points and 526 rebounds in her HPU career. She is the 13th Panthers player in the HPU Div. I era to reach 800 points and the seventh to reach 500 rebounds. Only six other players have achieved both.

• Three current High Point players are among the top 20 in the HPU Div. I career scoring lists. Stacia Robertson sits at 11th with 831 points in two seasons, Redshirt-senior Lindsay Puckett is 19th with 656 points and Kaylah Keys is 20th with 643 points. Keys and Robertson are on pace to finish the season in the top 10 in career scoring. Robertson has a chance to finish among the top five in the HPU Div. I career record book in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.

• The Panthers return eight letter winners and all five starters from a 2013-14 squad that captured the Big South regular season title with a 16-4 conference mark and earned the third NIT berth in program history. The team returns 89.6 percent of its scoring and 83.8 percent of its rebounding from last season. And was picked to finish second in the Big South preseason poll, as voted on by the league’s head coaches.

• Kaylah Keys was picked as the Big South Preseason Player of the Year by the conference coaches. Keys led HPU in scoring last season at 17.7 points per game, which was second in the Big South. She was named the 2013-14 Big South Freshman of the Year and was selected first-team All-Big South. Keys set HPU Div. I single-season records for scoring (583), made three-pointers (73) and made free throws (148).

• High Point returns all five players who started the final 20 games of the 2013-14 season. HPU went 16-4 last season in games started by the group of Kaylah Keys, Stacia Robertson, Senior Latrice Phelps, Senior Ashante Richard and sophomore Teddy Vincent.

Next Up: High Point will return to the Millis Center on Sunday at 3 p.m. to host the Elon Phoenix (3-0). The Panthers lead the all-time series with Elon 36-33. The last meeting between the two programs came on 2008-09 in an 82-48 win at home.