High Point holds off Camels 69-62

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HIGH POINT, N.C. – Lorenzo Cugini scored a career-high 24 points and High Point defeated Campbell 69-62 Saturday night at the Millis Center.

In a game that included 10 ties and eight lead changes, the Panthers held off the Camels (7-9, 1-2 Big South) down the stretch. Cugini made 6-of-7 threes for High Point (12-4, 3-1), while pre-season player of the year John Brown added 13, plus 9 rebounds.

Adam Weary scored 13 points and pulled down 7 boards off the bench for the Panthers, who shot just 38.5 percent from the floor, but finished with a 16-0 edge in second-chance points.

A late 10-1 run gave the Panthers the lead for good. Troy Harper's steal and lay-in gave Campbell a 54-51 edge with 7:02 remaining. However, Weary scored the final four points, including a pair from the stripe for a 61-55 lead with 4:05 to play.

Harper nailed a three from the right wing and D.J. Mason spun in the lane with 3:04 to go to cut the margin to 61-60 with 3:04 left. However, the Camels made just one more shot down the stretch.

Reco McCarter led Campbell with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 3-of-6 from 3-point range, and 3 steals. Mason added 13 points on 6-of-9 from the field and a team-leading 5 rebounds. Kyre' Hamer and Harper chipped in 11 apiece for the Camels, who shot 52.4 percent (22-42) on the night.

The final margin matched High Point's largest of the night and was the largest in the last five games between the rivals, who split a pair of 3-point decisions in 2013-14.

Weary's drive just before the buzzer gave High Point a 33-31 lead at the half. Campbell trailed 28-21 with 4:10 to play in the period before McCarter and Hamer hit threes in a 10-0 run to give the Camels a 31-28 edge.

Campbell shot 59 percent (10-17) from the field and made 5-of-9 threes (.556) in the opening half. McCarter made his first four shots, including a trio of treys, to score 11 first-half points.

Cugini matched his season high with 16 first-half points on 6-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-4 beyond the arc. High Point shot just 39 percent (11-28) from the field in the opening half, but held a 10-1 edge in points off turnovers.

The Camels open a three-game home stand Monday with an 8 p.m. tip-off against Coastal Carolina at Gore Arena. The game will be televised by the American Sports Network with coverage on MASN.

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