Gardner-Webb routs HPU twice

Greer Smith, The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·3 min read

Jan. 30—HIGH POINT — High Point native Lauren Bevis enjoyed a career effort at the expense of the High Point University women's basketball team on Saturday.

Bevis hit 14 of 15 shots, including all seven attempts from 3, as she scored 35 points and led Gardner-Webb in an 86-68 rout of the Panthers inside Qubein Arena. It was one of two runaway wins for the Runnin' Bulldogs over HPU on the day as the Gardner-Webb men opened a 20-point lead by halftime and cruised to an 86-58 win.

Bevis, who also collected seven rebounds, hit her first seven shots before launching her only miss on a floater with 8:45 left in the third quarter, which she followed with a jumper from the middle of the lane. She topped her previous best of 33 points by hitting her final basket, her fifth 3 of the fourth quarter, with 2:39 left in the game, which also gave Gardner-Webb its biggest lead at 84-62.

"She started attacking the basket early and then we started giving up 3s," said HPU coach Chelsea Banbury. "She's a good scorer, she's their third-leading scorer. We game-planned for her. She's good. We knew what she was capable of, and she went off."

Skyler Curran led the Panthers (9-11, 7-3) with 17 points and six rebounds. Jordan Edwards added 14 and Claire Wyatt 13.

The Panthers led for just 3:52. HPU scored the last seven points of the second quarter to trail 34-33 at the half and took its final lead when Jenson Edwards drove for a layup and added a free throw just 11 seconds into the third quarter.

Gardner-Webb regained the lead a few seconds later when Bevis hit a 3 that began a 10-0 run and included Bevis following her miss with a jumper from the middle of the lane. The Runnin' Bulldogs kept the Panthers from closing in the fourth quarter by hitting their first 10 shots of the period.

On Monday, Bevis was named the conference Player of the Week.

Gardner-Webb strengthened its hold on first-place in the league, improving to 18-4 and 10-0 with a tenth win in a row. HPU (9-11) dropped into a tie for second with Campbell at 7-3 with eight games remaining.

In the men's game, the Panthers shot 50 percent from the field but committed 20 turnovers that GWU turned into 24 points and allowed the Runnin' Bulldogs to score a whopping 52 points in the paint

HPU, which has just one victory on an opponent's floor this season, fell to 10-12 and 2-8 in the Big South. Gardner-Webb improves to 11-11 and 6-4.

HPU never led. The Panthers stayed close until GWU went on a 20-6 run that resulted in a 31-15 lead. The Runnin' Bulldogs led 46-26 at the half and the lead stayed in that range until the last three minutes.

Jaden House broke out of a slump and led the Panthers with 20 points while Zach Austin added 10.

HPU's women play host to UNC Asheville on Wednesday while the men play at Asheville on Thursday in a game that will be shown on ESPNU.

Elsewhere, Sydney Horn finished second in the seeded pole vault at the Bob Pollock Invitational at Clemson University. Horn cleared 4.31 meters (14 feet, 1.75 inches). Anjali Mead was second in the unseeded women's pole vault at 12 feet, 10.25 inches.