Six Lancers in double figures helped glide Longwood to an dominant win against Gardner-Webb, 91-56 on Jan. 21, picking up a vital conference win to even out their record at 3-3 (11-10 overall).
After a Gardner-Webb three early in the first half, the Lancers went on a 9-0 run capped by a free throw from Graduate forward Elijah Tucker.
Tucker was a force to be reckoned with inside the paint and Gardner-Webb had no answer to him crashing the glass and high flying slams. Grabbing his fourth double-double of the season and third consecutive, he finished with 21 points — adding along 10 rebounds and two assists, while only missing twice on the floor.
Tucker said, “I want to do the same thing every night, it starts with practice and going hard everyday translates to the game.”
Junior guard Jacoi Hutchinson also had a double-double in this game, his first this season. He finished with 10 points, five rebounds and a career-high 10 assists.
This is the 16th time Hutchinson has scored in double-figures for Longwood. “I think that I draw a lot of attention with my play making ability, being able to get my teammates involved. Coach Ronnie trusts me to make the right reads,” Hutchinson added.
That said, Tucker and Hutchinson were not the only players to make an impact on the court. On the defensive end, Alphonzo Billups III, along with a season-high 15 points, added three steals. While Jaylen Benard, had a career-high five steals himself, also adding 10 points and six rebounds.
Redd Thompson Jr. and Emmanuel Richards found their stride in the flow of the offense, each having 10 and 11 points respectively.
As a team, the Lancers had 16 assists, which Head Coach Ronnie Thomas attributed to their synergy as a team. “They really like each other. [They] have something that you can’t really take [away], that’s belief and love within each other. It starts off the court and how they’re going about the process every day with each other,” Thomas said.
At the 12:17 mark in the first half, Longwood found themselves up double figures and never looked back. Any run Gardner-Webb had late in the first half or early in the second was not enough as Longwood had an answer to anything thrown their way.
Longwood outrebounded the Runnin’ Bulldogs 41-29, something Thomas said he and the staff have been emphasizing all season. “Rebound is the best play in basketball, I think it directly translates to winning. You can make a good play from it,” Coach Thomas said.
As a team, defensively, the Lancers forced 21 turnovers — scoring 20 points from them and holding Gardner-Webb to a shooting percentage of only 38 percent. Leading the way for Gardner-Webb was Colin Hawkins, who finished with 14 points. Former Lancer DJ Jefferson had 10 points.
Meanwhile, Longwood shot 55 percent on the court, the third highest this season and the highest in Big South play.
Longwood cruised past the Runnin’ Bulldogs to improve 11-10 on the season, tying up their conference record at 3-3. Gardner-Webb adds a frustrating loss to theirs, falling to 2-19 and still without a win against a division one opponent. They are now 0-6 in Big South Play.
Reflecting on the win, Thomas said, “It starts with the first play. It’s not about the whole game, it’s just about being locked in from the beginning and wanting to win every single one, one at a time.”
Longwood now looks to carry this momentum to their Friday afternoon matchup, where they’ll gear up to play Charleston Southern at 7 p.m. Initially slated for Saturday, the game was rescheduled due to the forecasted winter storm.
