Second-half eruption keeps Longwood unbeaten in Big South play

Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich may want to bottle up whatever he said at halftime on Wednesday night. His Lancers came in down six and proceeded to shoot the lights out in the second half on the way to a 72-64 win over Campbell.

The Lancers (11-5, 3-0 Big South) shot .727 (16-22) from the floor to stay unbeaten in Big South play and match the program’s best start since joining the league in front of a raucous crowd in Willett Hall.

That shooting spree helped Longwood outscore Campbell (9-7, 2-3 Big South) 45-31 in the final 20 minutes. Jordan Perkins scored a season-high 14 points to lead the charge, but he had plenty of help. Justin Hill poured in 12 points, all after halftime, and Leslie Nkereuwem and Isaiah Wilkins matched him with a dozen apiece. The quartet also added 14 assists, with Hill’s six assists leading the way.

The reinvigorated offense coupled with a stingy defense that locked down Campbell as well, with the defense turning to offense as Longwood scored 10 points off six Campbell turnovers after halftime. The Lancers also limited Campbell to two made three’s and .414 shooting as well in that timeframe. Austin McCullough led the Camels with 17 points, and Jordan Whitfield added 16.

After leading by six at the half, Campbell pushed the lead to 36-27 early in the second half on a three-point play by Jordan Whitfield, but Wilkins came down and nailed a three to get the Lancers rolling. Jesper Granlund drained back-to-back triples to cut the lead to one possession, and the two sides battled back and forth over the next few minutes.

Hill got going for Longwood, and Granlund equaled the score at 53 all with a wonderful backdoor feed from Perkins with less than eight minutes to play. After the defense induced a miss, DeShaun Wade finally put the Lancers over the hump with 7:11 to play. He hit a free throw and drained a corner three to give Longwood a 57-53 lead. Perkins capped the surge with a three-pointer that pushed the lead to seven at 62-55, and the Lancers were firmly in control.

From that point on, the defense bogged down Campbell as the offense polished off the game with free throws.

The Lancers are headed down to Presbyterian this weekend for a Saturday matinee at 3 p.m. The game will be on ESPN+ and WVHL 92.9 Kickin’ Country. The team then heads to Hampton on Monday night at 6 p.m.

For the latest in news, scores and schedules, head to www.longwoodlancers.com, download the HorsePower Fans app, or follow the Longwood social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook.