HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Christmas spirit was unmistakable
at the Qubein Center Friday night. From the ugly sweater worn by High Point’s
mascot, Prowler, to the songs played during every stoppage in play and the array
of decorative lights outside, the holiday mood was hard to avoid.
High Point gave its fans the gift they sought above all
others – a big win over a quality opponent. The Panthers turned in a connected effort
on both ends of the floor, draining 13 threes and playing stifling defense
against La Salle in an 84-72 win.
You know what happened – now, let’s go Inside the Numbers:
- The most astonishing number on the night came courtesy of High Point’s defense. The Panthers took advantage of 12 Explorer miscues and converted them into 19 points -- according to the box score, at least -- on the offensive end. Given La Salle’s struggles in other aspects of the game, the number stood out to coach Darris Nichols.
“The way we started off, I thought we were on our way to 20 turnovers,” Nichols said. “We finished with 12, and if I could finish every game with 12 turnovers with this team, I’d be excited. A lot of it was that we went on runs when we got in the paint, we played off two feet, and we made the right decision. They went on runs when we went in there not on two and just jumped. That was the story of the game in the second half.”
- High Point, as we mentioned, knocked down 13 threes on the night. Guard Conrad Martinez was responsible for five of those triples, finishing with a career-best 24 points.
“A lot of it was the scouting report and attention to detail,” Nichols said. “You switch, and you’re on a different guy. You’ve got to know exactly what he does. You’ve got to think big picture and understand, okay, what does this guy do? I just switched onto him.”
“Some of the stuff they do – they get you into rotations and they really make shots. They’ve been doing that for the last few years.”
- High Point played the game without forward Cam’Ron Fletcher,
who was reportedly absent due to the flu. The Panthers looked different, but
played very connected basketball throughout. High Point dropped dimes on 15 of
25 buckets, spraying the ball to shooters or drivers. Fletcher’s absence was
notable on the boards – La Salle outrebounded High Point, 32-29 – but the
Panther bench contributed 38 points on the night and the home side swatted away
five shots.
- La Salle had several opportunities to cut the game to a more manageable number, but struggled to string together stops. Simultaneously, the Explorers had prolonged dry offensive spells – including a 9:20 drought without a bucket in the first half – that made things tougher. Nichols spoke frankly of his own team’s struggles while crediting High Point’s play.
“The way (High Point plays) defensively, they’re heavy in the gaps,” Nichols said. “They make you pass it, so when they’re trying to make you pass and you don’t want to pass, you’re stagnant.”
“We showed (the team) how (High Point is) on film. We did a good job of it in spurts, but I think the one thing that was good in the first half was our getting to the bonus early. That was beneficial, but we just didn’t pass the ball.”
Additionally, the Explorers’ struggles on offense affected the defense when trying to quiet High Point and go on a run.
“I think our offense puts so much pressure on our defense,” Nichols said. “The decisions we make – we’ll go in there and turn the ball over or take an ill-advised shot, and that puts so much pressure on your defense, so you’re not going to get a stop.”
- Explorers guard Jaeden Marshall paced the team with 22 points, knocking down 6-of-13 from the floor and 8-of-8 from the line. Nichols offered an assessment on Marshall’s play.
“He scores when we move the ball better, and that’s the recipe. Like I told him, when you’re on the first page of the scouring report – maybe the top guy on the scouting report – a lot of times at the beginning of a game, you’re not going to get what you want because you’re the focal point.”
“You’ve got to get lost in the game, and I think tonight he kind of got lost in the game. He picked his moments to attack and did a good job playing off two feet and getting to the free throw line.”
- Nichols’ teams are known for their ability to get to the free throw line, and Friday was no exception. The Explorers took 32 trips to the line, hitting 26.
“I think that’s the main positive (from the game),” Nichols said. “I thought we had some different guys play harder and with more energy.”
- The Explorers have little time to focus on Friday’s result, as they will travel to Ann Arbor Saturday afternoon for a 4:00 start on Sunday against Michigan. Nichols emphasized after the game that his group would have to quickly turn the page.
“We gave them the truth (in the locker room),” Nichols said.
- Nichols also offered a pair of short, but direct comments.
On how the Explorers stopped High Point’s drivers: “Not well enough.”
On what La Salle needs to do better immediately: “Throw the ball to their teammates and defensively rebound.”
Martinez’s 24 paced the homestanding Panthers and all scorers,
with the guard dropping 7-of-12 tries (5-of-9 from three) on a prolific
shooting night. Forwards Braden Hausen and Owen Aquino supported with 11 and 10
points, respectively. The Panthers connected on 48.1 percent (25-of-52) from
the field, with an equal 48.1 percent (13-of-27) falling from three. High Point
cashed in 75 percent of its tries (21-for-28) from the charity stripe.
Marshall guided the Explorers with 22. Freshman Ashton
Walker poured in 14 and boarded six misses, with forward Josiah Harris scoring
12 and securing seven caroms. The visitors shot 43.8 percent (21-for-48) after
shaking off a first-half effort in which they made just seven of 23 tries. The
Explorers struggled with the three-ball, hitting just 4-of-11 (36.4 percent)
from distance. La Salle’s 26-for-32 effort from the free throw line was good for
81.3 percent.
High Point stays at home for an extended holiday
celebration, welcoming Bryant to the Qubein Center Monday night. Game time is
set for 7:00 (Eastern), with coverage planned for ESPN+.
Hustle Stats:
Points off turnovers:
High Point 19, La Salle 12
Points in the paint: La Salle 30, High Point 22
Second-chance points:
High Point 13, La Salle 9
Fast-break points:
La Salle 12, High Point 10
Bench points: High
Point 38, La Salle 30
HIGH POINT 84, LA SALLE 72
LA SALLE (4-8)
Marshall 6-13 8-8 22, J. Harris 3-9 6-8 12, Acker 3-6 0-0
8, T. Harris 0-3 0-0 0, Beatty 0-0 0-0 0, Walker 3-6 8-9 14, Daniel 4-5 1-1 9,
Dockery 1-4 3-4 5, Archer 1-1 0-2 2, Strand 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-48 26-32 72.
HIGH POINT (10-3)
Hausen 4-7 0-0 11, Aquino 3-4 3-4 10, Anderson 3-10 3-3 9,
Martin 2-4 3-4 9, Washington 2-7 3-6 7, Martinez 7-12 5-5 24, Brady 1-4 4-4 6,
Johnston 2-3 0-0 6, Miller 1-1 0-2 2, Singare 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-52 21-28 84.
Halftime: High Point 35-29. 3-Point goals: High Point 13-27 (Hausen 3-6, Aquino 1-1, Anderson 0-2, Martin 2-2, Washington 0-2, Martinez 5-9, Brady 0-2, Johnston 2-2), La Salle 4-11 (Marshall 2-5, Acker 2-3, T. Harris 0-2, Strand 0-1). Fouled out: Dockery (LAS). Rebounds: La Salle 32 (J. Harris 7), High Point 29 (Aquino/Anderson 8). Total fouls: La Salle 21, High Point 21 Technicals: NA
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