HPU WBB Races Past Coastal Carolina For A 73-65 Win

• Redshirt-senior Stacia Robertson posted 14 points and 11 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the year.
• Sophomore Kaylah Keys led the team with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting in the contest.
• The win gives the Panthers 15 straight inside the Millis Center and their 10-0 home record ties the 2005-06 team for the best start in the program’s Division I era.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University women’s basketball team used a 21-2 run midway through the first half to earn a 73-65 win over Coastal Carolina in the Millis Center on Tuesday night.

In a battle between the Big South’s two most potent offenses, the Panthers (13-7, 9-2) got the better of the Chanticleers (10-10, 4-7).

“We’re still trying to put together 40 minutes and trying to play well on both ends for a full game,” head coach DeUnna Hendrix said. “But I’m really proud of our kids’ effort in getting the win tonight.”

The two squads entered the contest tied atop the conference with matching 42.2 percent shooting percentages on the year. HPU shot above its average connecting on 44.6 percent of its attempts while limiting CCU to 35.6 percent shooting overall.

“I thought our defensive effort was really good. We were able to switch our defenses up a little bit and made them think a little bit,” Hendrix continued. “When our defense is on point everything is easier on the offensive end.”

On a night when she was honored for surpassing the 1,000-point plateau in her HPU career, redshirt-senior Stacia Robertson shined. The forward registered her seventh double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds to go with four assists, three steals and two blocks.

Sophomore Kaylah Keys led the team with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Freshman Kat Harris gave the Panthers three players scoring in double figures with 10 points off of the bench. Sophomore DeAnneisha Jackson posted nine points as a reserve to help HPU earn a 27-4 advantage in bench points.

The Purple & White shot 94.4 percent (17-of-18) from the free throw line and was able to overcome being outrebounded 38-34.

The team has now won 15 straight games in the Millis Center dating back to Jan. 11, 2014. It is also 10-0 at home this season, which ties the program’s Divison I era record set in 2005-06.

The Panthers got on the board first as senior Latrice Phelps found a cutting Keys for a basket on the game’s first possession. HPU missed its next eight shots and fell behind 9-4 with 13:43 left in the half. However, redshirt-senior Lindsay Puckett got the offense going again with a 3-pointer from the left wing (9-7, 13:28).

Puckett’s shot snapped an eight-minute scoring drought and sparked a 21-2 run over the next eight minutes. Robertson scored eight points during the run, which was bookended by 3-pointers by Puckett and Harris. The surge allowed HPU to build a 25-11 advantage with 6:04 remaining, a lead it would never relinquish.

Harris hit another shot from beyond the arc to stretch the lead to 15 points at 30-15 with 3:48 left in the half. The Chanticleers were able to cut their deficit to eight at 30-22 on a pair of free throws by Jas Adams with 1:17 left. But the Panthers scored the final six points, including a buzzer-beating runner by Keys, to take a 36-22 advantage headed into the locker room.

Neither team could make any headway early in the second half until Puckett once again sparked the Purple & White. Her second 3-pointer of the game extended HPU’s lead to 17 points at 45-28 with 16:20 remaining.

However, the Chanticleers wouldn’t go quietly and went on a 16-4 run to cut the lead to seven at 49-42 with 10 minutes left. But, Keys had the answer scoring five points, sandwiched around a CCU basket by Jas Adams, before sophomore Maja Michalska drilled a triple to make it 57-44 with eight minutes to play.

From there HPU was able to hold off the hard-charging Chanticleers and earn a 73-65 victory.

The Purple & White will be back in the Millis Center on Saturday at 2 p.m. to square off with Big South-leading Liberty. The Panthers will be looking to avenge their loss to the Flames and move back into a tie for first the conference standings.