Sunday, February 18, 2024

High Point runs away from Radford behind Hamilton's career night

 

Forward Kimani Hamilton logged a career-best 34 points in High Point's Saturday win.  (Photo:  High Point Athletics)


HIGH POINT, N.C. – January 3 was not the best day for High Point forward Kimani Hamilton.

Hamilton went 2-for-11 from the deck and 0-for-6 from distance in an 85-71 win at Radford, logging just nine points. The sophomore Panther forward seemed determined not to let that result happen again.

He bettered that total – before the first media timeout. He eclipsed his prior career-high of 29 points before the final media break of the first half.

When the final horn sounded, Hamilton had 34 points on 13-for-16 from the floor, helping guide High Point to a nearly wire-to-wire, 99-74, victory before an announced crowd of 4,935 in the Qubein Center.

“I think Kimani had this one circled, because the first time we played them, they really tried to help and tag in pick-and-roll situations off of him,” High Point coach Alan Huss said. “He was a little bit unprepared and – I think, shocked – because I don’t think he was ready for it in that first game. He shot some when he was off-balance. To his credit, tonight, he was shot-ready, he was anticipating the help off of him and ready to knock them down.”

“When he’s focused, I think he’s just a different level of player, and you saw that tonight.”

Radford (13-14, 3-9 Big South) grabbed the lead 49 seconds into the game, as Kenyon Giles banged home a jumper. Unfortunately for the Highlanders, that lead would last just 16 seconds, as Hamilton drained the first of his six triples. Hamilton would go on to have 11 of the first 14 scored by the Panthers, working his way past his career-high of 29 from just two weeks ago against UNC Asheville late in the first period. High Point (22-6, 11-2) claimed its biggest lead of the period at 19 as Titas Sargiunas splashed a step-through jumper to provide the Panthers a 52-33 interval advantage.

“We definitely flew around,” Huss said. “When you make a few shots early, it’s a lot easier to fly around defensively. I think that’s kind of what happened tonight.”

“We had scored three more points than (Hamilton) at halftime,” Radford coach Darris Nichols said. “He’s not known as a big-time shooter, but he’s a big-time player, and you still have to guard him. When you give a guy that much space, he’s going to get going. The other guys fed off him at that point. It wasn’t just him.”

Hamilton cooled off a bit in the second half as Radford made defensive adjustments, but High Point continued to ramp up the offensive pressure. Duke Miles put home a layup 28 seconds into the second half to push the Panther lead past 20. Radford continued to make buckets – the Highlanders would go on to shoot 51.5 percent in the second half – but could draw no closer than 16. Josiah Harris made a layup to draw the game to that margin at 74-58 with 10:32 remaining.

While the Highlanders shot well in the second half, so too did the Panthers. High Point quickly worked its lead back over 20. The home side led by as many as 27 in the second half before claiming the 25-point victory.

The loss was the Highlanders’ fifth straight.

“It was just executing the details of what was presented, and we haven’t done a good job of that,” Nichols said.

“You’re always down after a loss. We have to look within. Some guys have the look of, ‘Okay, I’m ready for this to be over.’ The problem with that is that you look back on this thing and realize, ‘That was the best time of my life.’ I would hate for any of them to have those thoughts, because as a coach, you have to be their vision for the future. The game of basketball is a big indicator of how you live your life, a lot of times. I share that with them all the time, and I shared that with them again (tonight).”

Hamilton’s 34-point total led all scorers, despite his scoring just four second-half points. The Panther forward missed just three tries from the field, adding four boards and three assists.

“I just was taking what the defense was giving me,” Hamilton said. “They were basically letting me shoot, and my teammates were finding me. I felt like it gave my teammates confidence, and we just came out ready to play.”

“I’m not a selfish player. I don’t really care about the points.”

Guard Abdoulaye Thiam added 21, including 15 in the second half. Thiam hit 7-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the deck.

“I thought Laye really set the tone on the other end,” Huss said. “I think he has for about five games in a row now. I think he’s really turning into a guy that we can rely on to be really consistent with his energy.”

Sargiunas added 12 on a 5-for-12 effort, while Juslin Bodo Bodo and Pavlo Dziuba combined for 25 of High Point’s 50 boards and 11 of their 19 offensive caroms. The Panthers connected on 37-of-71 tries (52.1 percent) from the field, with 39.4 percent (13-for-33) of their three-point attempts hitting the net.

Giles led the Highlanders with 24 on 10-for-17 shooting and 4-for-6 from the line. Josiah Harris and DaQuan Smith booked 11 apiece on a combined 8-for-18 shooting, with Bryan Antoine contributing 10. The Highlanders shot 46.8 percent (29-for-62) on the night but managed just one three in 11 attempts. Radford added a 15-for-22 (68.2 percent) effort from the charity stripe.

Radford returns to Big South action Thursday night in the Big South wildcard game against Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs, N.C. Tip time is set for 7:00 (Eastern), with coverage planned for ESPNU. High Point will have one week off before resuming league play at Charleston Southern. That game is set for a 2:00 start from the Buc Dome, with streaming coverage planned for ESPN+.

HIGH POINT 99, RADFORD 74

RADFORD (13-14, 3-9 BIG SOUTH)

Archer 4-5 0-1 8, J. Harris 4-5 3-4 11, Smith 4-13 2-2 11, Giles 10-17 4-6 24, Antoine 5-14 0-1 10, Turner 0-2 0-0 0, Pierce 1-1 2-4 4, T. Harris 0-0 2-2 2, Walters 0-3 2-2 2, Burns 1-1 0-0 2, Castleberry 0-1 0-0 0, Vidor 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-62 15-22 74.

HIGH POINT (22-6, 11-2)

Hamilton 13-16 2-4 34, Bodo Bodo 4-6 0-0 8, Benham 2-7 1-2 7, Thiam 7-14 4-4 21, Miles 3-5 0-0 7, Dziuba 2-3 2-5 6, Giffa 1-6 0-0 2, Sargiunas 5-12 1-1 12, Childress 0-1 0-0 0, Hines 0-0 0-0 0, Hoynack 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 37-71 12-18 99.

Halftime:  High Point 52-33. 3-Point goals:  High Point 13-33 (Hamilton 6-8, Benham 2-7, Thiam 3-9, Miles 1-1, Giffa 0-2, Sargiunas 1-5, Childress 0-1), Radford 1-11 (Smith 1-3, Giles 0-1, Antoine 0-5, Walters 0-2). Fouled out:  Archer (RU), J. Harris (RU).  Rebounds:  High Point 50 (Dziuba 13), Radford 27 (J. Harris 6). Total fouls:  Radford 21, High Point 17. Technicals:  Huss (HPU).

Points off turnovers:  Radford 7, High Point 4.  Points in the paint:  High Point 46, Radford 44.  Second-chance points:  High Point 25, Radford 7.  Fast-break points:  High Point 7, Radford 6.  Bench points:  High Point 22, Radford 10.

 


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