The 13-seed High Point University Panthers fell to the fourth-seeded Purdue Boilermakers, 75-63, in the first round of the men’s basketball NCAA Tournament on Thursday but not without a fight.
An offensive rebound and put back dunk by sophomore center, Juslin Bodo Bodo, cut Purdue’s lead to three, 59-56, at the under eight-minute mark in the second half. You could feel the momentum in the Amica Mutual Pavillion shift with Bobo Bodo’s emphatic dunk, part of a surge from the Panthers that cut a 10-point Purdue lead to three. High Point’s raucous crowd turned out in droves and the students, staff, and alumni alike made the contest at Amica Mutual Pavillion feel like a home game 726 miles away from its campus, in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. When asked about High Point’s impressive fan turn out in the post-game press conference, second-team all-conference guard D’Maurian Williams, who lead the Panthers with 12 points, noted, “We probably have the best mid major fan base in the country. We expected them to be here and they were expecting a win. We knew they were going to show up.”
“High Point is a family,” added guard Trae Benham after the game. “You can just sense it the moment you step on campus…the place is incredible…we love going to school there! The family (atmosphere) there is just incredible. We’ve got so many people that are passionate about High Point basketball. It’s just a joy to be a part of something like that.” Benham scored 11 points, going 3-6 from three, that included a massive 3-point bucket during High Point’s run in the second half that was followed by a replication of the “mean mug” seen across the nation as Purdue called timeout to regroup (search: Trae Benham mean mug from the Big South Championship and enjoy).
The purple-painted Panther crowd roared, exploding again following the Bodo Bodo dunk. On the next possession, the Panthers secured a defensive stop and first-team all-conference guard Kezza Giffa drew a foul, taking him to the line with a chance to narrow Purdue’s lead to one. Giffa missed the front end of the one-and-one. A Purdue rebound resulted in a score, which the Boilermakers did on three consecutive possessions while the Panthers came up empty on the offensive end each time during the stretch. In what was otherwise a back-and-forth contest, the Boilermakers would finish on a 16-7 run to win the game.
“We didn’t come here to lose. We came here to compete and for stretches of the game we did just that,” said High Point University head coach, Alan Huss. With seven lead changes and four ties the Panthers competed indeed.
Purdue’s first-team All-America guard Braden Smith scored 20 points and controlled the game playing all 40 minutes. The size and length at every other position for Boilermakers ultimately proved too much for High Point. Forward Trey Kaufman-Renn went 10-16 from the floor, all in the paint, finishing with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Ultimately, the game was won on the glass. The battle on the boards was dominated by the Boilermakers, 45-24, including 19 offensive rebounds. The Panthers played tough defense to stay in the game but had trouble securing defensive rebounds to close out possessions. “I thought our first shot defense tonight was terrific,” said Huss. “We just weren’t able to capitalize with the rebound.”
“They were crashing very hard…killing us on the glass” said High Point first-team all-conference forward Kimani Hamilton. “I really believe that’s the reason they won.” Hamilton made it a point to note that High Point’s expectation was to win and that he and the team were certainly feeling the agony of defeat. “We’re still blessed though,” he ensured to add. “I still won’t go to war with anyone else other than my brothers.”
That tight knit camaraderie of this Panther group was its secret sauce to a successful season. Playing by committee, at times, twelve deep, the team reached 29 wins, won the Big South regular season, and the Big South Conference tournament, receiving the university’s first men’s basketball NCAA tournament bid. “Coach Huss, when we met in the summer, he told me we had an opportunity to make history,” noted Benham. “We had a lot of guys that came out of the transfer portal, we’re super deep…Coach Huss helped me realize that there’s something so much deeper than your own selfish desires and that’s to be a part of something bigger than yourself…That’s called sacrifice and sacrificial love runs deep…and that’s why this brotherhood is unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of.”
High Point University president, Nido Qubein, who was in the front row of the largest HPU section, cheering on his Panthers noted after the game, “Of course we wanted to win but I am so proud of this group. Our coaches and student athletes are just tremendous and had an incredible season. I’m most proud of how they competed and of their character. This whole experience has been great for High Point University.”
High Point may have lost today’s battle on the court but it’s winning the war in the marketplace. The positive light the Panthers’ first NCAA tournament experience shed on the fans, the campus, the family culture, the reaction on Section Sunday, the facilities, along with the quality of the basketball program and its people are all massive wins. And Coach Huss wants more. “I’ll be on the record to every high major coach out there – we’d love to play you next season…we’re open to any and all,” were among his final post-game press conference remarks. The college basketball world is on notice and it’s certainly noticing High Point University – which is the greatest win of all for the Panthers.
