Longwood trailed by 13 with 6:41 to go, got the game to three with a quick 13-3 run, but that was as close as things would get in an 81-76 loss to Delaware State on Saturday at the Joan Perry Brock Center.
Delaware State (4-8, NET: 355) shot 75 percent from the floor in the second half, and was 8-of-12 from three for the game.
Camian Shell and Corey Perkins each had 17 points to lead five Hornets in double figures.
Elijah Tucker had a game-high 20 points for Longwood (6-6, NET: 296).
“Ultimately, we just have to be a lot better,” first-year Longwood head coach Ronnie Thomas said. “It starts with the staff. We have to put guys in a better position. We knew what the [Delaware State] zone was going to look like, and I thought it made us stagnant. Now we have to move forward and find a way to be a more connected team, constantly playing together. Especially when things aren’t going our way, we have to stay together and continue to play with each other and allow the ball to touch multiple hands when we play within each other and within the team.”
Longwood hits the road for back-to-back games prior to a break for the holidays with trips to Wake Forest (7-3, NET: 55) on Wednesday and North Carolina Central (3-9, NET: 348) on Saturday.
The game at Wake Forest begins at 7 p.m. and will air on ACCNX, while the game at NCCU tips at 2 on ESPN+.