All week they were dubbing it the biggest nonconference game in Qubein Center history. And for the over 5,000 students, alumni and fans that packed the Qubein Center on Friday night the end result was the one they were hoping for, even if the road to get there wasn't exactly what they expected.
It's true that the first ever matchup between UAB and High Point was expected to be a clash of styles between two offensive-minded mid-major titans. UAB, the AAC preseason favorite, came into the game with a reputation of dominating the paint and offensive boards; led by the very talented 6'9 forward Yaxel Lendeborg. High Point, the Big South favorite, came into the game with a reputation as a dynamic offense and one of the best three point shooting attacks in the nation.
Plot twist, it didn't work out that way. Neither of the highly-rated offenses broke 70 points. For the first time all season UAB hit more three-pointers than their opponent, shooting 39% from behind the arc, and High Point logged their largest domination of points in the paint all season, outscoring the Blazers 36-16 inside the lane.
But in a weird of twist of fate that only college basketball could provide, the offensive identity struggles that plagued both squads provided the fans in the Qubein Center with a gritty, physical defensive effort that left everyone on the edge of their seat for 40 minutes.
On the offensive side for High Point, the Panthers leaned on D'Maurian Williams who had 23 points and 3 assists, the biggest of which came with just under thirty seconds remaining in a 66-65 ball game. Williams found Kimani Hamilton (18 pts, 8 reb) under the basket for an exclamation point slam to put the Panthers up three with 24 seconds left on the clock.
The Panthers, aided by the rowdy Qubein Center, then sealed the deal with one last defensive stand. After the Panthers broke down the UAB set play, Kimani Hamilton blocked an elbow three pointer attempt by Efrem "Buttah" Johnson and Lendeborg's final attempt went long as well to close the books on the Blazers.
68-65 win. Celebrations ensued.
So how did the Panthers get there? Well, it wasn't pretty at times. First off, the Panthers gave up 15 offensive rebounds to the Blazers, the most allowed in the Alan Huss era. Secondly, The Panthers shot just 25% from behind the arc, their 2nd lowest single game percentage in the Qubein Center under Alan Huss. It was even worse when you remove D'Maurian Williams, who went 3 for 4 from deep; the rest of the team shot just 15% from three and 33.3% overall from the field.
Some of this was UAB's defense, which really did a pretty job attaching to shooters and maintaining pressure on the perimeter. A number of the Panthers missed shots looked a tad bit rushed and off-balanced. But honestly, an equal amount of it was just bad luck. It started with one of the first offensive possessions of the game when UAB lost Kezza Giffa and no one was within 10 feet of him when his three point attempt rimmed out. Some nights shots just aren't falling.
I don't bring the shooting woes up to take anything away from the victory, quite the opposite. Last year the Panthers were 2-4 in games in which they shot 25% or worse from three. So the fact that they still found a way to win, against a high quality opponent, on a night when their biggest weapon went missing, speaks to the versatility and maturation of this team.
So what did go right? For starters the Panthers gave a great team defensive effort. According to Bart Torvik, they held the Blazers to an effective field goal rate of 40.9%, which was the second lowest in the Huss era against D1 competition. A big part of that was a concerted effort by the entire frontcourt to neutralize UAB's offensive star Yaxel Lendeborg.
Even though Lendeborg still got 17 points, a season low, he was visibly frustrated at times by the intensity and length the Panthers presented to him every time down the court. While Hamilton and Bodo Bodo deserve a lot of credit for handling the heavy lifting, some of the best moments came when the Blazer senior was matched up against High Point's freshman big man, Josh Ibukunoluwa. Josh did end up fouling out, but I thought he held his own very well at times going up against a talented veteran and showed a lot of promise. Josh's development on the defensive and rebounding side will be a major plus to the Panthers if he can continue to gain experience and confidence throughout the season.
Something else the Panthers did well this game was take care of the basketball. For the second straight game they kept total turnovers in the single digits (8) and they also recorded a turnover margin of +4, meaning they forced four more turnovers then they committed. And believe it or not, +4 is the best turnover margin for a High Point home game in the Alan Huss era. As the competition gets tougher throughout the season the Panthers will need to maintain this standard of ball security.
So where this all left us was this: an entertaining, hard-fought basketball game where two really well-coached teams executed their game plans and resulted in a contest that came down to the final minute. Major kudos to the students and fans for showing up, on time, and getting loud and creating an environment that gave HPU the edge. This is the type of game and environment that can lead to very special things for High Point basketball.
The Huss Bus continues to roll on Monday night as American comes to town for a 7pm matchup. So come on out, get disruptive and support the guys again. Just like Friday night's game, the journey through a college basketball season isn't always what you expect, but it's always one hell of a ride. Go Panthers!
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