What a difference one week makes.
This time a week ago, the Longwood men’s basketball team was in the midst of a seven-game losing streak and hadn’t beaten a Division I team in over two months. The tide turned quickly, however, and the Lancers (7-14, 2-4 Big South) beat defending conference tournament champion Liberty, and defending conference regular season champion Charleston Southern last week to get back in the win column and perhaps save the season.
Against Liberty, sophomore guard Lucas Woodhouse exploded for 27 points as Longwood beat their in-state archrivals in an instant classic, 69-66. The packed house in Willett Hall included a full student section, and a raucous one at that. They were greeted early to an eventful first few minutes with both teams knocking down threes and keeping tempo at an exciting level.
The two teams got into some early foul trouble with Longwood’s TT Carey and Jeylani Dublin racking up two each within the first 8:15. Head Coach Jayson Gee then sat down two of his stars to ensure their availability for the second half, but it proved costly. Liberty (8-12, 2-3 Big South) led by as many as seven in the first and looked to have some control before the Lancers used a 7-2 run to get back in it.
Tomasz Gielo excelled for the Flames, and his three with 21 seconds left in the first half gave Liberty a 36-32 halftime lead. The second half provided more intense action with Woodhouse continuing to play out of his mind. The sophomore guard had 10 points and three assists in the first half but exploded in a second half effort that saw the team take the lead back with 17:08 to play, thanks to one of his seven threes of the night.
“I couldn’t be prouder of them … One of the greatest attractions I had to this job was the home court,” Gee said. “I thought that we got a big assist tonight from the [Lancer] Lunatics. They were phenomenal in a crucial period of the game, and we couldn’t have gotten over the hump without them.”
The last 5:25 of the game ended up being the most crucial part, as Antwan Burrus sank Liberty’s last shot from the field, giving the Flames a 63-58 lead. A Karl Ziegler jumper helped set the stage for Woodhouse, who already had 18 points, to take over. His three tied it with 2:44 left before Gielo made one of two free throws. Andrew Smith missed a go-ahead layup for the Flames, and Ziegler caught the rebound, then got it to Woodhouse who pulled up with 46 seconds left to give the Lancers a 66-64 lead. The shot looked good the second it left the hands of the New York native, and it sent the home crowd into a state of delirium.
Burrus made two more free throws to tie it again, and Longwood got the ball back with 30 seconds left. A couple of fouls later, Woodhouse found himself in the same spot he hit a game-winner earlier in the year against TCU. His seventh three of the night was flawless with 2.4 seconds left, and the Lancers’ comeback was, at last, complete when Gielo launched a three from the buzzer that rebounded into Ziegler’s hands. “I was just feeling it, so I just pulled up,” Woodhouse said about his final shot. “It went in. That was a great job for our team on the defensive end to get the final stop to finish it off.”
With respect to the end of Longwood’s seven-game losing streak, Gee said, “I think it’s great; I’m happy for the kids … What I compliment them for is that they’ve been practicing like they haven’t been losing, which is a compliment to their character.”
Woodhouse’s 27 points were a game-high; he also recorded a team-high four assists. Ziegler had 14 points, and Carey had seven points and six rebounds. Gielo’s 20 points were a high for Liberty. After the win, the Lancers are now 13-0 all-time against Liberty in Willett Hall.
Against Charleston Southern on Saturday evening, LU overcame a 12-point first-half Buccaneer lead and used a few crucial late baskets to get a rare road victory. Two Ziegler layups, one with 1:44 left and the other with 39 seconds left, a Carey dunk with 20 seconds left set up Leron Fisher with an opportunity to sink two crucial free throws, and he did just that as Longwood upset CSU.
The team has two home games this week, one against Gardner- Webb tonight at 7 p.m. and on Saturday at 4 p.m. against UNCAsheville.
Saturday’s game is also the program’s annual Reunion Day where alumni gather in Farmville to watch this year’s team, and it coincides with this year’s Longwood Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony.
