Panthers fight to the end, fall to Arkansas in second round
PORTLAND, Ore. – High Point University took another big team to the brink. But it couldn't quite duplicate the magic of a couple days ago.
The Panthers, seeded No. 12 in the West, were tied inside the final four minutes. But they fell behind on a pivotal seven-point run, and fourth-seeded Arkansas pulled away in the final minutes to win 94-88 on Saturday in the Moda Center during the second round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
"Obviously a fantastic game," High Point coach Flynn Clayman said. "Arkansas is a fantastic team. High Point, I'm really proud of our guys. We competed with the SEC champs – lottery picks, guys who are the best of the best. And our university, our team showed out.
"We packed the house. We had fun. We played with confidence. We were expected to be good, but I don't think anybody expected what we did here – win 31 games, get to the tournament, advance, push the SEC champs. I'm just so happy for our university."
Rob Martin had 30 points while Cam'Ron Fletcher had 25 points – both making 11 shots from the field – to lead the Panthers (31-5), who concluded their season with the most wins in Big South and program history after capturing their second straight conference tournament title.
Terry Anderson added 15 points and Chase Johnston – whose layup in the closing seconds of Thursday's upset over fifth-seeded Wisconsin gave High Point its first tournament win – chipped in nine points. Fletcher had eight rebounds and two steals, while Anderson had six assists followed by Martin with five.
"I put in so much work and I feel like it showed tonight," said Martin, a senior guard. "(Darius Acuff Jr.) is a great player. He made great plays. I came back and tried to make plays for me and my teammates as well. But I'm super proud of myself and my journey. I put so much work in – all glory to God."
The Panthers again didn't back down against the Razorbacks, who won the SEC tournament as the No. 3 seed. They led by five in the first half and never let Arkansas lead by more than eight as the teams battled back and forth. The game featured six ties and 15 lead changes.
High Point led with seven minutes left on a layup by Owen Aquino and pulled even with 3:19 remaining on a driving layup by Martin. But the Razorbacks (28-8), led by Darius Acuff Jr. with 36 points and Meleek Thomas with 19 points, answered with seven points in a row to take control in the final moments.
"We shot the ball pretty well," Arkansas coach John Calipari said. "And it took all of that to beat High Point – who has 31 wins."
Acuff made a driving layup with 2:52 that gave the Razorbacks back the lead. The Panthers missed a 3 from the right corner that rattled in and out, and Acuff scored on a finger roll. High Point had a shot blocked near the basket, and Acuff drained a 3 from the left wing.
Suddenly Arkansas led by seven with 1:01 left in the game. High Point got within five with 45 seconds left and clawed within four with nine seconds left. But its Cinderella run – only the second time a Big South team has advanced to the second round – ultimately ran out.
"I thought we played really, really good," Clayman said. "I don't know that we played out of our mind today. I don't think they played their best either – they can play better. I told our guys to come in with an aggressive mindset and shoot your shot. And if a few more of them dropped, then it would've been a different story."
The Panthers shot 46% from the field for the game, while the Razorbacks shot 52% – including 55% in the second half.
Arkansas will face either No. 1 Arizona or ninth-seeded Utah State in the Sweet 16 on Thursday in San Jose, California.
