Box Score

After trailing by as many as 23 points in the contest, UNC Greensboro's rally fell short as High Point posted an 81-74 victory over the Spartans on New Year's Eve at the Millis Center in High Point, NC. The loss was UNCG's seventh straight to drop the Spartans to 3-8 on the season, while High Point improves to 4-6.

High Point came out of the game on fire and built a 19-point lead thanks to Danny Gathings and Kashawn Hampton. Gathings scored 13 of his game-high 27 points in the first half and Hampton scored eight of his 13 in the first half as well. The Panthers shot 57 percent from the floor and raced out to a 41-25 halftime advantage.

The Panthers pushed their lead to as many as 23 points, 54-31, just minutes into the second half before the Spartans mounted a furious comeback. UNCG cut the lead to single digits with 4:47 remaining in regulation on a Josh Gross layup that made it 66-57.

The Spartans continued to chip away and pulled within 75-71 on a Jay Joseph 3-pointer with just 1:38 to play. With the game in jeopardy, High Point's Joe Knight sealed the contest seconds later with a driving layup and free throw to complete the three-point play.

James Maye led UNCG with 18 points, while Joseph and Ray Bristow each added 12 points for the Spartans. Danny Hargrove went 4-for-4 from the floor en route to scoring nine points in the contest for a new career-high for the freshman.

It was the first meeting between the schools, located just 16 miles apart since the 1983-84 season. High Point now leads the all-time series, 5-1.

UNCG returns to the hardwood again on Saturday, January 4, in Johnson City, TN, against East Tennessee State. Tip-off is slated for 2 pm. The game can be seen live on espn2 as Dr. Jerry Punch will handle the play-by-play duties and Bob Wetzel will provide color commentary.