For the first time in program history, the High Point University Panthers are going to the Big Dance! The Panthers erased a 15-point deficit in the second half to come back and beat Winthrop University in the Big South Championship, defeating the Eagles 81-69.
"I'm happy for our guys," Head Coach Alan Huss stated. "We talked about the progression of team… going from 'coach fed' to 'player led'. In the last 60 days or so we've progressed into that space. Today at half time we were in a bad place. Instead of me ranting and raving at half time, I walked into a group that was self-policing. They were talking about the processes that needed to be corrected and they were leading themselves to a space we needed to get to."
"We have to consistently remind ourselves how fortunate we are for the support we receive from the administration, our boosters, our supporters, our fans and our students. They love this University, and they love this basketball team. We're fortunate to be a small part of that and hopefully we brought them some joy today. They were absolutely driving us and willing us to victory there in the second half when we made our run."
After opening the game with a 9-2 lead in the first three minutes of action, the Panthers went down by as much as 15 points in the first half. Bobby Pettiford Jr. (6'0''-PG) helped cut the game back to single digits with three minutes to go in the first after scoring on two transition layups.
Winthrop went back up by double digits with a jump shot and a free throw but in the final minute, Kezza Giffa (6'2''-G-2002) knocked down a shot in the lane to trail 39-29 going into halftime.
In the first four minutes of the second half, High Point went back down by 15, 48-33 before subbing in the second rotation off the bench. Pettiford, along with Trae Benham (6'4''-G-2002), Terry Anderson (6'6''-F), Abdoulaye Thiam (6'4''-G) and Simon Hildebrandt (6'9''-F-2003) ignited a spark in the Panther offense.
Pettiford scored back-to-back buckets with a banked in three-pointer from the wing followed by a drive through the lane for the finger roll floater. Anderson took off down the court after Benham secured the defensive rebound and laid in a layup to erupt the High Point crowd and cut the game to eight, 48-40 at the 13:58 minute mark, forcing a Winthrop timeout.
"I think we had cut the lead to single digits," Pettiford stated, "and Terry, Laye and Trae were picking me up. Every time I kept going over to the bench, Kezza was telling me 'you're that guy, keep us going' so when you have iron sharpening iron you get those results."
Coming out of the huddle, HPU continued its run with back-to-back shots, splashing down a three from the top of the key and a strong layup in the paint, Hildebrandt made it a three-point game, 48-45.
Pettiford drove in and dropped in another bucket, contributing to the 15-0 run to put the Panthers within one point of the Eagles, 48-47 with 12 minutes to go in the game.
Benham lit a fire in Freedom Hall, draining a logo three from the top of the key to tie the game at 50 all before securing a defensive rebound and taking it coast-to-coast for the and-one layup. The and-one put the Panthers back on top for the first time since the 13-minute mark in the first half.
"Credit to those guys in that second unit in particular," Huss stated. "It's fitting for guys like Trae Benham and Abdoulaye Thiam who sacrificed so much for this team and this season, to be the ones on the floor when this game concluded."
From there High Point kept the momentum rolling and gained some separation as Anderson, Thiam and Pettiford were crushing it around the basket. High Point went 9-for-12 from the field in the last nine minutes of the game following the and-one from Benham.
A three pointer from Thiam put the Panthers up by eight, their largest lead of the half with two minutes to go in the game.
In the end High Point's Giffa and Thiam combined and went 6-for-6 from the line to seal the deal and lead the Panthers to their first-ever Big South Tournament title and first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
Pettiford was crowned the Big South Tournament MVP after leading the team with 17 points, three rebounds and four assists. Kimani Hamilton (6'7''-F-2003) and Giffa also made the Big South All-Tournament team after combining for 20 points and seven rebounds.
"Bobby in my mind, since coming back, has been the MVP of our season all year for a variety of reasons," Huss stated. "His unselfishness… not just his passing of the basketball, which is elite, but his willingness to come off the bench… he never complained. His willingness to play minutes up and down… he never complained. This guy has won a National Championship, he was a top recruit, he played at Kansas, he played in Allen Fieldhouse, he's played in the biggest games on the biggest stages and complained none. In my mind when you add those things and his unselfishness to his skill set, it makes him the most valuable piece of our team. He makes everyone better, and I'm so pleased for him that he won this award because he's been totally selfless all season."
"Coming back home and accomplishing this for the first time in school history, it feels amazing," Pettiford added.
"It's surreal for me right now," Giffa exclaimed. "I'm just a kid from France that came here four years ago with a dream. I've been watching the NCAA tournament since I was young, and I never thought that I would be there one day. I worked really hard and believed in myself. I thank God every day for this opportunity, and I thank Coach Huss for believing in me and taking me under his wing. I don't take that for granted and I will be forever grateful for that."
As a team, the Panthers were led by the bench, scoring 50 of the 81 points. Thiam finished the day with 12 points, Benham and Anderson each added eight points and Hildebrandt contributed five points.

Courtesy of bigsouthsports.com

Big South Conf. Final:
High Point - Winthrop 81-69
Big South Conf. Semifinals:
High Point - Radford 76-73
UNC Asheville - Winthrop 67-86
Big South Conf. Quarterfinals:
High Point - Gardner-Webb 85-64
UNC Asheville - Charleston Southern
Winthrop - Longwood
Radford - Presbyterian 74-69, OT
Big South Conf. First Round:
Gardner-Webb - USC Upstate 83-63