Freshman point guard Justin Hill just missed a triple-double as Longwood cruised past North Carolina A&T 77-60 Tuesday evening in Willett Hall.
Hill flirted with what would have been Longwood’s first triple-double since Colin Ducharme recorded two during the 2000-2001 season. Hill finished with nine points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to direct the Longwood (1-3) offense to a season-high 30 made field goals and 11 three-pointers.
Behind Hill’s 11-assist night, fellow point guard Juan Munoz scored 13 points, forward Christian Wilson added 15, and redshirt freshman forward Nate Llitears scored 13 in his first career double-digit scoring game.
The Lancers shot a season-best .526 (30-of-57) from the floor, tied for their fourth-best shooting performance in three years under head coach Griff Aldrich and their best since a .577 night in a win over Maryland-Eastenr Shore on Nov. 12, 2019.
Munoz and Lliteras were Longwood’s deadliest from beyond the arc, both hitting three three-pointers. Munoz’ three extended his streak to 22 consecutive games with a made three-pointers, while Lliteras’ were the first of his collegiate career.
Longwood was equally dominant on the defensive end, holding North Carolina A&T (2-5) to .393 (22-of-56) shooting from the floor and winning the rebounding battle 40-26. Blake Harris and Kameron Langley both chipped in 16 points apiece for the Aggies.
The Lancers broke the game open in the final 7:08 of the first half, opening a 22-8 run during that span thanks to 10 points from Munoz. Longwood held the Aggies scoreless on nine of their final 12 possessions and rode a buzzer-beating three-pointer from sophomore Cameron O’Conner to a 41-24 halftime lead.
Longwood ended the first half on a 22-8 run over the final 7:08, getting 10 points from Munoz and holding the Aggies scoreless on nine of their last 12 possessions. The Lancers led by double digits the rest of the way.
Now after playing three games in a span of six days, Longwood will get a five-day break to prep for its Big South Conference opener at Commonwealth rival Radford on Dec. 14-15.
That back-to-back conference series will tip off at 6 p.m. both days on ESPN+, WVHL 92.9 FM and the TuneIn radio app.
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