HPU has longest live winning streak in the nation after defeating Presbyterian  

High Point University recorded its 20th win of the season and extended their win

streak to 12 games as Kezza Giffa led the way with a game-high 26 points, and

Duke Miles added 18 in a 78-68 win against Presbyterian College on Feb. 3. 

 

HPU struggled to shoot the ball early, 1-7 from the court, which allowed

Presbyterian to jump out to an early 9-2 lead.

 

Qubein Center was up and on their feet after Juslin Bodo Bodo blocked a

shot on the defensive end, and Giffa found an open Titas Sargiunas for a

corner three-pointer on the other end of the court to give HPU a 14-13 lead.

 

Bodo slammed home a two-handed jam from Sarguinas to give him seven first-quarter points, and give the Panthers a two-point lead, 22-20.

 

Not only was Bodo dominating on the offensive end in the first half, but he was also a huge factor on the defensive end as he blocked three shots and grabbed seven defensive rebounds. 

 

“I thought in the first half especially we were a little dead in the water and he [Bodo] got us some second chance opportunities, kept a few balls alive, and blocked a few shots,” said Head Coach Alan Huss.

 

Giffa and-one, three point-play gave HPU its largest lead of the game, 27-21, with 4:13 remaining in the first half. 

 

Miles, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Feb. 3, closed out the first half and advanced HPU’s lead to double-digits, 34-24, with a three-pointer.

 

Presbyterian started the second half off on a 7-4 run before Miles drained his second three-pointer of the game.

 

Miles took over for the Panthers as he converted two acrobatic layups to give the Panthers a four-point, 51-47, lead.

 

Abdouleye Thiam knocked down a three-pointer to stop Presbyterian's 9-2 scoring run, and help put HPU back up by three points, 60-57, with 3:45 remaining in the second half.

 

Not only was Miles dominating on the offensive end, but he was also making hustle plays on the defensive end as he forced a turnover and then found Sargiunas in the corner for his second three-pointer of the game on the other end of the court.

 

“I think we did a good job of ratcheting up our intensity level on the defensive side of the basketball… I think we did a nice job defensively down the stretch,” said Huss.

 

With an attendance of 5,678 people, the Qubein Center was rocking after Sargiunas drove to the lane and converted a one, three-point play to give HPU a 68-64 lead with 1:04 remaining in the game.

 

“You always have to feel confident no matter what part of the game it is… I just played our game,” said Sargiunas.

 

That three-point conversion gave Sargiunas 13 points in the game which is a career-high for him.

 

“Really all he [Sarguinas] needed was an opportunity and a few more minutes to go out there and show the rest of the fanbase and the people that are external to our program what he has shown us a thousand times in practice which is that he is not only an exceptional freshman but he is an exceptional freshman,” said Huss.

 

The Panthers went a perfect 11-11 from the free-throw line in the last 1:04 of the second half to seal the game for HPU, 78-68.

 

“We found a way to win. It definitely was not our prettiest effort of the year but we are thrilled that we came out and got our 20th win. We understand that they are never easy and Presbyterian proved that tonight,” said Huss.

 

The win is the Panthers 20th of the season which is the first 20-win season for HPU since 2015-16 under Head Coach Scott Cherry. 

 

HPU remains undefeated in Big South conference play at 9-0, and also extended its program record, 12-game winning streak, which is currently the longest winning streak in the nation. 

 

The Panthers shot the ball phenomenally in the second half as they shot 61.1 percent from the court overall and 60 percent from the three-point line.

 

Giffa led the way for the Panthers with a game-high 26 points including him going 22-24 from the free-throw line to go along with four rebounds and three assists.

 

Giffa broke the record for both made, 22, and attempted, 24, free-throws in High Point University program history as well as tying the record for most made free-throws in a single-game in Big South conference history.

 

In Miles’ second game back from injury, he added 18 points on 6-13 shooting from the court overall and 2-5 from the three-point line.

 

The biggest question heading into the next couple of games is the health of Kimani Hamilton as he only played 12 minutes due to a sprained ankle he suffered in HPU’s last game against Longwood.

 

“Kimani had a sprained ankle that he suffered in the last game and he was not himself tonight. He just could not move. He tried to give it a go to his credit,” said Huss.

 

The Panthers will look to remain undefeated in conference play and extend their winning streak as they travel to Asheville to take on UNC Asheville on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m ET.