Longwood got a stickback layup at the buzzer to walk off North Carolina Central, 74-72, on Saturday afternoon.
Gotta feel good about the week down in Carolina if you’re the Lancers (7-7, NET: 315), who played Wake Forest (9-3, NET: 59) to the buzzer in a 71-68 defeat on Wednesday.
The game-winner came on an offensive rebound from Elijah Tucker on a Redd Thompson miss.
Tucker finished with eight points and nine rebounds, six on the offensive glass – Longwood had 16 offensive boards on the day, leading to 15 second-chance points.
“The rebound is the best play in basketball,” first-year Longwood coach Ronnie Tucker said. “We have to have the mental mindset in the fact that rebounding can and will win games in the Big South. Every night we need the mindset to put out an effort like that today, being plus-13 and getting 50 percent of our misses. It was fitting that that we were able to win the game on Elijah’s offensive rebound.”
Thompson and Jacoi Hutchinson each had 17 points to lead Longwood.
Gage Lattimore lead North Carolina Central (4-10, NET: 343) with 22 points.