Box Score BOX SCORE
Postgame with Tooey Loy
Postgame with Amy Dodd
Audio Game Recap

The High Point University women's basketball team took an early lead against the University of Florida and never looked back, defeating the Gators, 75-68, Monday night in Gainesville Fla., to win the 2009 Gator Holiday Classic. The Panthers made 11 three-pointers in the game to pick up their first win over an SEC team since joining Division I in 1999.

“This is a game that we will all remember for the rest of our lives,” said head coach Tooey Loy. “To come into Florida and beat the Florida Gators in their own tournament to win our first ever championship in Division I was an unbelievable performance by the team. We were gutty and played hard for 40 minutes and we got contributions from everyone on the team.”

Junior LaTeisha Dean led all scorers with 17 points while junior Mackenzie Maier added 12 points and seven rebounds and junior Amy Dodd finished with 11 points and career-high nine assists.

High Point claimed an early 9-5 lead, forcing five turnovers and scoring seven points off those turnovers. Dean paced the Panthers with seven points in the opening minutes, going 2-2 from the floor with one three and 2-2 from the charity stripe.

Out of the first media timeout, UF scored five straight to take a 10-9 lead but junior Jurica Hargraves drained a three from the right elbow to put HPU back up 12-10.

The lead would change hands three more times before back-to-back threes by Hargraves and freshman Erin Reynolds sparked a 12-4 run by the Panthers. Twice during the run the Gators scored from inside the paint but each time HPU responded with a three, first by Dodd then by Maier, expanding the lead to 7, 26-19, with six minutes left until the half.

An 8-4 run by the Gators pulled Florida to within three, 30-27, but High Point's strong shooting from outside continued as Maier connected from downtown to push the lead back to six, 33-29, with less than two minutes in the half.

After two straight Florida baskets, a coast-to-coast layup by junior Frances Fields at the buzzer sent the Panthers into the locker room with a four point advantage, 35-31.

High Point shot 50 percent (12-24) in the opening 20 minutes including a sterling 7-9 from behind the arc

Maier finished the half leading all scorers with 10 points for HPU while Ndidi Madu led UF with seven points at the break.

The Panthers strong shooting continued in the opening minutes of the second half as HPU began the second period by sinking its first four shots to open a 44-35 lead with a 9-4 run, forcing UF to call an early timeout.

The Gators' Jennifer George got to the line and scored two free throws out of the timeout but a three by Dodd and two free throws by Dean pushed the HPU lead to 49-37.

Florida managed to trim the High Point lead to four, 51-46, but the Panthers again found an answer with a jumper by Hargraves and a three by Dodd to push the lead back to 10, 56-46.

Down 10, the Gators pulled back into the game, using a 13-2 run to take a one point lead, 59-58, with just over five minutes remaining. The lead was Florida's first since 11:50 remaining in the first half. The Panthers refused to wilt however, scoring four straight on a layup by senior Ashlee' Samuels and two free throws by Fields to reclaim a slim 62-59 advantage with 4:12 remaining in the game.

A runner by Reynolds and a three-pointer by Dean pushed the High Point lead to 67-61 with less than two minutes remaining and the Panthers went 8-10 from the line in the final two minutes to clinch the 75-68 win.

High Point finished shooting 46.2 percent (24-52) from the floor and 61.1 percent (11-18) from behind the arc. The 11 three pointers by the Panthers were the most since Jan. 27, 2007 when HPU hit 11 in conference play at Winthrop.

“We shot it great, especially in the first half,” said Loy. “But what I was most proud of was how we played the second half. We didn't shoot it as well in the second half but we really buckled down defensively and got stops when we needed them. In the last six minutes we got a bunch of stops after they cut it to one point.”

Dodd was named tournament MVP after averaging 10 points, five rebounds and 5.5 assists in the two games and both Dean and Samuels joined Dodd on the All-Tournament team.

High Point improves to 6-6 on the season with the win while Florida drops to 5-6

HPU will now return home to conclude its non-conference slate with a game against Mercer on Monday, Dec. 28. Tip-off in the Millis Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.