The High Point Panthers narrowly clinched a victory over the Furman Paladins on Dec. 6 in a highly contested match. The first half saw the High Point Panthers take an initial lead due to their rapid paced offense. Furman succeeded in closing most of the gap, bringing the score in the first half to 41-45, favoring High Point. The Panthers would increase this lead at the beginning of the buzzer during the second half, and the Dins would once again narrow the gap yet ending the game at a loss with the final score of 82-85.  

Within the second half, JP Pegues (guard) would score numerous 3-point shots and bring the score to as close as 80-81 favoring the Panthers with almost two minutes remaining on the clock. The 6’1 guard from Nashville, Tennessee has started almost every game of the season so far and contributed some of the highest number of three pointers to the team, alongside Tyrese Hughey (forward), Mike Bothwell (guard), and Jalen Slawson (forward). 

A Furman Basketball player shared his analysis of the game afterwards, describing how the offense displayed was extremely competitive and representative of the typical offense Furman usually plays, but it was the defense that fell behind in terms of organization. He claimed that, going forward, the Dins were going to continue to work on organizing an impenetrable defense that mastered both blocking and rebounds. The Dins were not able to execute that impenetrable defense yet, as they fell short to NC State in PNC Arena on Dec. 13th, 73-92. After a tough loss in one of the season’s biggest away games, it remains to be seen if Furman can continue this fiery offense while pivoting on the spot to become a more organized and effective defensive team.