Nido & Mariana Qubein Center | Wednesday, February 4 | 7:00 PM 

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📍 Setting the Stage

High Point returns home fresh off a much-needed road win in Farmville, snapping a drought that had lingered since 2018. It was their best defensive showing since Gardner-Webb, a performance that finally looked like course correction instead of survival.

Now comes Charleston Southern Buccaneers, a team spiraling but still dangerous.

CSU has lost six straight, yet none of that erases the reality:

• Their first meeting pushed HPU to overtime
• They feature one of the best backcourts in the Big South
• And High Point hasn’t exactly been lighting nets on fire since that night in Charleston

At home, the numbers overwhelmingly favor High Point Panthers:

• 20–6 all-time vs CSU in High Point
• Five-game winning streak vs the Bucs
• Last CSU win in High Point: 2021

However, the Bucs will want to come into the Qubein Center and pillage a win.

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⏰ First Game Results

January 10, 2026 — North Charleston

High Point 84, Charleston Southern 82 (OT)

A game High Point managed to escape with a win by the slimmest of margins. 

What happened:

• Panthers lead 41–40 at half
• CSU came out from half time much stronger and took a 10 point lead at the under-8 timeout.
• High Point scratched and clawed back into the game to take a late lead but missed free throws kept CSU in it and allowed them to force OT
• HPU outscored the Bucs 8-6 in the extra period

HPU standouts:

• Rob Martin – 20 points, some clutch late buckets
• Terry Anderson – 16 points, 8 rebounds
• Four Panthers finished in double figures

CSU standouts:

• A’lahn Sumler – 19 points, 6 assists, 39 minutes
• Luke Williams – 16 points
• CSU dominated stretches on the glass

Hidden issue:

Foul trouble limited Owen Aquino, forcing High Point to play without its interior anchor for long stretches and CSU took full advantage.

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🔁 What’s Changed

1. HPU’s Shooting Has Gone Cold

Since going to play in the Buc Dome:

• 31.3% from three
• Long stretches with no spacing
• Shooters pressing instead of flowing

If High Point is going to stretch the floor again, home rims need to fix what was broken in Northern Chaleston.

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2. Defensive Momentum Is Finally Trending 

Up

The Farmville win mattered beyond the result:

• Best defensive performance since Gardner-Webb
• Cleaner rotations
• Fewer paint touches allowed

That matters, because the Charleston game exposed every defensive weakness HPU has battled since January.

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3. CSU is Losing but Not Broken

Yes, CSU has dropped six straight.

But context matters:

• Multiple close losses
• Offense still scoring (83.8 PPG)
• Backcourt remains elite

Desperation teams are dangerous especially on the road when nothing is expected.

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♟️ Key Matchups

🎯 A’lahn Sumler vs. Rob Martin and Conrad Martinez

Alpha vs. Alpha

Sumler has been one of the best players in the Big South all season:

• 18.4 PPG
• Primary engine of CSU offense
• Elite late-game creator

The smaller HPU PGs will need to perform well again against the 6’4” Sumler. Rob Martin will need to play like he did down in Charleston and look for Conrad to bounce back after an off-night against Longwood.

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🔥 Brycen Blaine vs. Terry Anderson

Control vs. Chaos

Brycen Blaine is a problem:

• 17.6 PPG
• 7.5 RPG (from the guard spot)
• Big South leader in made threes
• Capable of detonating games (see: 42-point night vs The Citadel)

Anderson remains HPU’s most reliable player and the heart of the team. Whoever wins this duel dictates the tone.

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🧱 Owen Aquino vs. CSU Frontcourt

Aquino was plagued by fouls in the first meeting and CSU immediately attacked the rim when he sat.

If Aquino stays on the floor CSU’s drives get harder and second chances shrink. If he doesn’t though, this becomes another survival game. Caden Miller got the majority of the back up center minutes in the first game against the Bucs but his free-throw shooting really hurt the team. 

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⁉️ Questions Hanging Over the Panthers

• Can High Point shoot its way back to balance, or is the slump real?
• Was Farmville a turning point?
• Vincent Brady had his best game as a Panther on Saturday, can he continue that form?
• Is HPU learning to win with control instead of off chaos alone?

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🔮 Toothsayer Prediction

Charleston Southern will not roll over. Sumler will score. Blaine will hit shots.

This will feel uncomfortable longer than High Point fans want against a 7th place squad. 

The Bucs showed they can hang with HPU but the difference in this game is:

• HPU is home
• Defensive confidence is returning
• CSU’s margin for error is gone

If High Point:

• Keeps Aquino out of foul trouble
• Forces CSU to play in the half court
• Shoots even average from deep

This doesn’t need overtime again.

Prediction:

High Point 86, Charleston Southern 78