JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — In an impressive comeback, High Point’s Bobby Pettiford was pivotal in overturning a significant 15-point deficit, taking down Winthrop 81-69 in the Big South Championship title match on Sunday. This victory secured the Panthers their inaugural entry into the NCAA Tournament.
During the game, Winthrop, leading comfortably with a 10-point advantage at halftime, extended their lead to 48-33 with just 15 minutes left on the clock. However, Pettiford’s critical 3-pointer followed by a layup sparked a momentum-shifting 14-0 scoring run by High Point. This run brought the Panthers back within striking distance at 48-47. Trae Benham further capitalized by completing a clutch three-point play, breaking a 52-all tie, which gave High Point their first lead since leading 14-13 earlier in the match.
From that point onward, the Panthers (29-5) maintained control of the game. Although Winthrop managed to narrow the score to 75-69 with just a minute remaining, they failed to score again. High Point capitalized on this lull, expertly sinking six consecutive free throws to clinch their first Big South Championship title decisively. High Point has historically excelled in the regular season, having claimed the Big South regular season title six times.
A major contributor to High Point’s 14th consecutive victory was their bench strength, contributing a whopping 50 points, of which 44 came in the second half. In addition to Pettiford’s 17-point performance, other key contributions came from Abdoulaye Thiam with 12 points, and Trae Benham, who had eight points alongside 10 rebounds. Terry Anderson also added eight points. Notably, Kezza Giffa stood out as the only starter to score in double figures with 16 points.
Winthrop (23-11) displayed a balanced scoring effort with five players reaching double figures. Kelton Talford led the Eagles with 15 points, supported by contributions from Bryce Baker and Nick Johnson, both with 11 points. Kasen Harrison and K.J. Doucet contributed 10 points each, with Doucet adding nine rebounds to his statistics.
