Panthers Win 80-73 in Overtime Thriller
High Point, NC - The High Point Panthers came out flat in this game played on a beautiful evening in High Point, North Carolina. The Panthers fell behind the Charleston-Southern Buccaneers by a much as 15 points at one point in the first half, but would cut the lead to 8 at halftime, as the Buccaneers would lead at halftime 32-24 in the Mills Athletic and Convention Center. The Panthers came out on fire in the second half, however, as they began to light it up from three point range. The Panthers would end the day going 8/17 on threes, or hitting them at a clip of 47%. The Panthers eventually took a 41-35 lead early in the second half. Both teams would trade leads throughout the game. Demon Conklin hit a three point basket that put High Point up 64-61 with 32 seconds remaining, but the Buccanneers answered with a three of their own, making it 64-64. High Point's buzzer beater attempt fell short as time expired, and the game was headed for overtime.
In the overtime period, both teams hung around until early as both teams would trade leads several times in the opening minutes of the extra period. Eventually, High Point would hit several key shots and nail crucial free throws to escape with a 7 point win. The fans at the Panthers' Den rejoiced, as their Panthers were still in contention for a Big South regular season championship with the win.
Coach Frizzell had mixed feelings about the game. "Well, we played horrible early on in the game. We just stunk. I could smell how bad we were playing. In the second half, we got some open three point buckets and we converted for what seems to be the first time this year. We tried to get the ball down to the low post and I'd say it worked pretty well, as both Michael Leonard and Alex Allen ended the game with double-doubles. The defense was also forced to collapse, leaving some of our shooters open on the perimeter, and they hit those crucial jumpshots. I was impressed with our composure in overtime. Our guys were not rattled at all and I was happy about that. All in all, it was a good game because we won, but we certainly could have played better."
Code:
1st 2nd OT Final
Charleston-Southern 32 32 9 73
High Point 24 40 16 80
Buccaneers Panthers
Field Goals 29/80 29/67
FG Percentage .363 .433
3 Pointers 4/19 8/17
Free Throws 11/19 14/16
Assists 16 24
Turnovers 16 20
Rebounds 52 43
Steals 5 6
Blocks 4 8
Paint Points 46 40
Bench Points 29 17
2nd Chance Points 12 12
Fast Break Points 4 2
High Point Leaders
SG, Damon Carlisle - 25 points, 6 assists, 4/8 3 pt. FG
SF, Vince Hodge - 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
PF, Michael Leonard - 10 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
C, Alex Allen - 10 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists
Streak: Won 4
Record: 13-8 (8-4)
Home Record: 6-2
Away Record: 7-6
Next Game: 2/14/04 vs. NC A&M Aggies (10-10)