High Point (5-9, 3-6) vs. Gardner-Webb (6-10, 5-6)
Paul Porter Arena, Boiling Springs, North Carolina; Saturday, 5 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Gardner-Webb seeks revenge on High Point after dropping the first matchup in Boiling Springs. The teams last faced each other on Jan. 29, when Gardner-Webb made only seven foul shots on 15 attempts while the Panthers hit 17 of 26 en route to a four-point victory.
ARE YOU EXPERIENCED: High Point has relied on senior leadership this year while Gardner-Webb has been fueled heavily by freshmen. For the Panthers, seniors John-Michael Wright, Lydell Elmore and Denny Slay II have collectively scored 49 percent of the team’s points this season, including 59 percent of all Panthers points over their last five. On the other hand, freshmen Jaheam Cornwall, D’Maurian Williams, Jordan Sears and Jamaine Mann have collectively accounted for 53 percent of Gardner-Webb’s scoring this season, including 68 percent of the team’s points over its last five games.
BIG SOUTH IMPROVEMENT: The Runnin’ Bulldogs have scored 73.7 points per game against conference opponents thus far, an improvement from the 68.2 per game they managed in non-conference play.
KEY CONTRIBUTOR: Wright has either made or assisted on 46 percent of all High Point field goals over the last five games. The sophomore guard has accounted for 31 field goals and 15 assists in those games.
YET TO WIN: The Panthers are 0-6 when they allow 75 or more points and 5-3 when they hold opponents to anything under 75 points. The Runnin’ Bulldogs are 0-7 when they score 69 points or fewer and 6-3 when they exceed 69.
ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Runnin’ Bulldogs have recently gotten buckets via assists more often than the Panthers. Gardner-Webb has an assist on 50 of 77 field goals (64.9 percent) over its past three outings while High Point has assists on 40 of 66 field goals (60.6 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Gardner-Webb has made 9.3 3-pointers per game this season, which is most among Big South teams. The Runnin’ Bulldogs have averaged 10.8 3-pointers per game over their last five games.
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