Camels turn back High Point for No. 3 seed in Big South

by Dunn Area Sports Staff | Feb 24, 2021 | Campbell, News & Features

Messiah Thompson had 14 points in Campbell’s 68-48 win.
(Photo/Bennett Scarborough)

BUIES CREEK — Cedric Henderson, Jr. scored 19 points to lead Campbell to a 68-48 Big South Conference men’s basketball win over High Point on Tuesday night at Gore Arena.

Messiah Thompson added 14 points for Campbell (15-9, 11-6), which tied a school Division I era (since ’77-78) record with its seventh straight win and secured the third seed in next week’s conference tournament in the process.

The Camels never trailed, used a 17-2 run to open up a 20-point advantage at the break and led by as many as 29 down the stretch.

John-Michael Wright led High Point (8-14, 6-11) with 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting, while Jaden House added 12 off the bench for the Panthers, who shot 34.5 percent on the night and made just 2-of-13 threes.

Campbell, which entered the game ranked 17th nationally in field goal percentage, shot 53 percent overall (26-49) and made 8-of-17 beyond the arc.

Wright knocked down a triple with 9:37 left in the first half to bring the Panthers within 13-10. However, the Camels responded with their decisive 17-2 burst capped by Austin McCullough’s backdoor layup from a Joshua Lusane feed.

CU shot 55.6 percent (15-27) in the opening period, while High Point made just 32 percent (7-22) of its first-half attempts.

High Point drew within 17 (50-33) on House’s drive to the basket with 9:58 remaining in the contest, but the Camels answered with a 13-2 burst. Thompson’s pull-up jumper at the free throw line provided the Camels with their largest lead (66-37) with 2:33 left.

Joshua Lusane added 9 points, five assists and no turnovers for the Camels. Henderson grabbed six rebounds and made three steals.

The Camels will host sixth seed, Gardner-Webb (11-14, 10-10), on Monday at 7 p.m. in the Big South tournament quarterfinal round.

(Campbell media services provided the basis for this report)