The Longwood men’s basketball team hosted the Radford Highlanders to conclude their regular season in the Joan Perry Brock Center on February 28. In a match that had the Highlanders leading at half by three, great execution on all levels for Longwood in the second half delivered a win for the Lancers — final score 90 to 74.
Five Lancers ended up in double figures, with Junior guard Emmanuel Richards leading the way with 19 points. Graduate forward Elijah Tucker added his eighth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Richards said, “The energy and the defense [translated] to offense. Playing hard, my teammates [shared] the ball, and shots followed.”
Off the bench, Sophomore guard Redd Thompson Jr. added 15 points, while Junior guards Alphonzo ‘Fats’ Billups and Jaylen Benard added 11 each. Longwood’s bench outscored Radford’s 42 to 19.
Tucker said, “We got a really deep team. Everybody wishes they could play more minutes but everybody's doing their part. I couldn’t have asked for a better atmosphere [or] a better game.”
In the second half, Longwood was able to pull ahead by repeatedly going to the free throw line. At the charity stripe, they only missed twice to go 23 for 25, a huge boost to their lead. The team was also able to find looks for everyone in the flow of the offense, which helped them to shoot 50% in the half.
For the Highlanders, they had three players score in double figures. Radford guard Del Jones scored a game high 21 points, while guards Brennan Rigsby and Dennis Parker Jr. finished with 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Longwood Head Coach Ronnie Thomas, heading into the matchup, emphasized to his team about keeping a "one-game season" mindset. “Sometimes, when you’re at the end of it, it’s a lot easier to be selfless. We played together and played [unselfishly] and so now we just got to continue that,” he said.
The game also served as senior day for the Lancers, where the team honored Tucker, guard KJ McClurg and forwards Johan Nziemi and Elijah Jones.
Richards said, “We all got the same love for each other. Just going out [there] and playing hard, competing for each other to get this win on senior night.”
The win ends Longwood's regular season with a winning record of 16-15, and even out their conference record to 8-8. Their conference record ties with UNC Asheville, but because the Bulldogs swept the season series against the Lancers, Longwood is placed fifth in the standings.
This gives Longwood the most conference wins since the 2022-2023 season, where they finished with a conference record of 12-6.
For Radford, the loss brings their record for the season to 16-15 and their conference record to 9-7. They finish third in the Big South standings.
The Big South tournament opens up on Wednesday, March 4 in Johnson City, TN. Both teams get a bye for the first round and will head straight to the quarterfinals. Radford will take on Presbyterian, who is placed sixth in the standings. That game will tip off on Friday at 8:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, for the Lancers, they will face fourth-ranked UNC Asheville in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. on Friday. With each game now do-or-die, the Lancers will face a one-game season every round as they make a run for the championship game.
Richards said, “Every possession matters, playing hard with that relentless effort and just stacking plays.”
Longwood has won the Big South title twice, both times under former Head Coach Griff Aldrich. In both championship runs, first in 2021-22 and second in 2023-24, Thomas was on staff.
For Thomas, his mindset is simple for his players heading into tournament play. “It’s about the team. It’s all about the team,” he said.
