Longwood University dropped a 78-71 men’s basketball decision on the road at Eastern Kentucky University of the Ohio Valley Conference Sunday afternoon in Richmond, Ky.
The Lancers (7-13) led 40-35 at halftime, were ahead 46-35 early in the second half, and tied at 61-61 before the Colonels (12-9) closed the game with a 17-10 run for their home victory. LU was led by sophomore transfer Tristan Carey|Colonial Beach (La Salle) with a game-high 25 points before fouling out late, and senior Antwan Carter|St. Petersburg, Fla. (St. Petersburg) with 19 points and and a game-high nine rebounds. Eastern Kentucky was led by Jaron Jones with 23 points, including 17 points in the decisive second half.
Longwood scored the first six points of the game at EKU as Carter scored two quick baskets inside and Carey added a layup as well at 17:04. The Lancers extended their early advantage to 12-4 at 16:07 as Carey made consecutive three-point field goals. The Colonels battled back with an 8-2 run to pull within 14-12 at 13:55 on a layup by Jones, but LU answered with a 7-2 run to lead 21-14 at 11:28 on a rebound tip-in basket from Carey. A rare three-pointer by EKU’s Jeff Johnson tied the game at 25-25 with 7:01 left in the first half, however, Longwood outscored the hosts 15-10 over the final 6:17 to lead 40-35 at the intermission. Carey scored 12 first-half points, while Carter had 11 first-half points for the visitors.
Longwood extended its margin to begin the second half, taking its largest lead of the game at 46-35 with 19:15 on the clock as Carey made two more three-pointers. EKU quickly responded, though, getting nine points from Jones and six points from Mike DiNunno during a 15-4 run to tie it at 50-50 with 14:13 remaining. It stayed close and was tied at 61-61 with 8:25 left after a layup by Carter. Unfortunately, the Colonels played just a little better down the stretch while outscoring the Lancers 17-10 over the final 7:55. LU did manage to close to within 74-71 with 30-seconds on the clock before the hosts made 4-6 free throws to secure the outcome.
Carey led Longwood with his game-high 25 points, including 5-8 shooting from three-point territory, adding five rebounds and three assists before fouling out late. Carter finished with 19 points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Lancers. Senior Jeremiah Bowman|Washington, D.C. (Harcum JC) had seven points, five rebounds, and a game-high six assists. LU shot 40% (25-62) from the field, including 28% (8-29) on three-pointers, and 68% (13-19) at the free throw line.
Jones led Eastern Kentucky with his 23 points, including 17 points in the second half, adding five rebounds. DiNunno added 14 points, while Johnson had 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Colonels. EKU shot a season-high 58% (33-57) from the field, including 40% (4-10) on three-pointers, and 53% (8-15) at the line.
It was the first meeting between the two schools in the sport.
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