Students Storm Willett: Lancers Leap Over High Point in Thrilling Fashion

When the buzzer sounds at the end of any game, no matter the sport, it's usually not a good sign for the home team when the fans are no longer in the stands. That wasn't the case, however, on Tuesday night when the Longwood's men's basketball team hosted the Panthers of High Point University to Willett Hall.

With just 22 seconds left on the clock, junior guard Aaron Mitchell gave the Lancers their first lead of the contest. And when the buzzer sounded, the ball was in sophomore Antwan Carter's hands, and the team, along with the fans, celebrated the dramatic win at center court.

"That right there is what Division 1 athletics is all about," said Head Coach Mike Gillian. "For fans, there's no right or wrong time to rush the court. It's just about when it feels right."

The Lancers certainly gave the fans what they came for, and the fans returned the favor by crowding the floor and celebrating one of the best basketball games played at Willett Hall in Longwood history.

"When you create that kind of environment that we had tonight, combined with support of the fans and getting the victory, to me it's better than all of them," said Gillian.

The game was about runs, but it was Longwood who came out ahead in the final sprint.

At two different points the Lancers found themselves down by double-digits, but managed to withstand a collapse. With 3:37 seconds left in the half, the Panthers led 38-24 that would turn into a 38-26 margin at the half. High Point would extend their lead to 48-34 with 16 minutes left, before Longwood made a 17-3 run to tie the game at 51-51 with 10 minutes left in regulation. However, High Point struck again with a 13-3 run of their own, thanks to the sharp-shooting of Nick Barbour, giving the Lancers a ten-point-deficit with just over four minutes left on the game clock.

The Lancers would respond however once again, much to the delight of the near-capacity student section who deafened the arena throughout the thrilling final push. With 48 seconds on the clock, senior guard Kevin Swecker capped off the run with crucial-game tying 3-pointer, squaring the contest at 66-66.

Off of a High Point missed jumper, Mitchell would secure the rebound before being fouled by Corey Law, who was all over the glass the whole game. Mitchell would calmly hit both free throw attempts and put the Lancers out front for the first time all game.

"I just pretended it was practice," said Mitchell. "I just looked at it as stepping up to the line and hitting two shots."

The Panthers got one more shot, but came up short on several efforts from point blank range before the team's catalyst, senior guard/forward Dana Smith grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Smith would ice the game, making both of two free throws with two seconds remaining, giving Longwood a 70-66 lead, which would eventually be the final score.

"It's a home sweet home sorta feeling," said Smith. "We've been on the road for the majority of the season so to pull this one out at home along with the support of the fans, this victory's up there with any of them,"

As for adjustments that were made to overcome the two deep deficits, Coach Gillian said it was fairly straightforward. "It's pretty simple we just had to make some stops," Gillian said. "I just told the guys during a time-out that we weren't going to be where we wanted to be if we kept letting these guys make easy baskets."

What Gillian preached to his squad during time-outs obviously worked, and offered the strength needed to make a dramatic comeback in the final minutes.

"Four minutes in a basketball game is a lot of time," said Smith. "We just knew we had to stay poised and confident and in the end worked out for us."

Carter led the Lancers with 18 points along with eight rebounds, and Mitchell ended with 18 points while going 7-8 from the courtesy strike. Smith finished the game with a double-double posting 17 points while grabbing 13 rebounds as well.

The victory was the team's first over High Point in the last four meetings, dating back to the 2006-07 season.

"That was awesome," said Gillian in summing up his team's victory. "It's a sure sign that Longwood is here, ready, and able to compete at a high level like the Big South Conference."

The Lancers will take the floor again Sun., Feb. 6 when they'll travel to New Jersey to take on New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).