On a day when the offense wasn’t in sync for long stretches, hustle plays and grit made up the difference for Longwood.
All nine players that played scored for the Lancers, and the team grabbed 15 offensive rebounds while forcing 16 turnovers, on the way to a 66-60 win over Gardner-Webb.
The hustle plays led to 29 points combined between second chance points and turnovers, which helped offset a day that saw the team shoot .343 (24-71) from the floor and .258 (8-31) from three.
“This is the second game that was not particularly pretty, but the guys found a way to win,” said Longwood head coach Griff Alrdrich. “That’s what special teams do. That’s what really good teams do. We shot 34 percent today. But the reality is, we had 19 more shots than they did. When you have 19 more shots—part of that is that we had 15 offensive rebounds, 10 more than they did, so that gave us 10 more possessions as a result. And we forced them into 16 turnovers, and we only had seven. So you have another nine possessions right there, opportunities to put the ball up towards the rim. And that’s the difference in the game.”
Isaiah Wilkins led the way with a game-high 20 points for the Lancers (10-5, 2-0 Big South), the second time in three games the senior has done so, and Nate Lliteras, Zac Watson and Jordan Perkins each added nine points.
That team effort was enough to overcome a Gardner-Webb (9-8, 3-1 Big South) side that saw four players finish in double digits. Anthony Seldon led the Runnin’ Bulldgos with 17 points, and Lance Terry, D’Maruian Williams and Kareem Reid each had 12.
“So I think the key is, for this group, we’ve got to have better consistency because this will catch us,” Aldrich added. “This was extremely tough, but we can’t have the lapses that we’ve had on both the offensive and defensive end. I thought we succumbed to fatigue, particularly in the second half. There were several possessions where the guys had been on the floor for a while, and they kind of gave in to fatigue, and it led to an open shot that they made. We’ve got to eliminate those, and we will. This is still our second game back in conference. This is Gardner-Webb’s fourth conference game. We’ve got to do a better job of being consistent. And that will come as we play more and more games.”
Perkins and Wilkins capped a big Longwod rally that erased a 10-point Gardner-Webb lead and saw the Lancers down 60-59 with less than a minute to go. That set off a scary sequence that saw DA Houston land headfirst while jumping for an offensive rebound. He was helped off the court by the training staff, and a flagrant-one was issued to Gardner-Webb on the play. Perkins came in and hit the two foul shots to give Longwood the 61-60 lead.
“When it’s winning time, that young man is ready to play,” Aldrich said of his graduate-transfer guard from North Carolina Central. “Whether it’s his experience, whether it’s his competitive spirit, he is ready to play. You think about the baseline runner that he made. That was a big shot. I really had no doubt that when we had to sub somebody in for DA, it was an easy choice to put Perk in to knock the free throws down. And I don’t think anybody in the gym really doubted that as soon as the ball left his hand, it was going in. He’s been terrific.”
From that point on, Wilkins hit four straight free throws to help seal the game. The senior had 10 points after halftime one game after scoring eight points in overtime at Radford.
While Wilkins and Perkins hit the free throws late, a bevy of Lancers converted big shots as part of a 17-6 run over a six minute stretch that saw Longwood rally from double digits. Perkins had four points in that stretch, with Houston hitting a three, his only bucket of the game, to start the run. Justin Hill raced out for an and-one that tied the game up, and Wilkins hit a big three while Leslie Nkereuwem and DeShaun Wade each added a bucket.
“Isaiah is a big-time player,” Aldrich said. “I think for Isaiah, I’m not sure he knows how good he can be. That’s part of the reason he came to Longwood, is for the opportunity to grow into the man he’s destined to be. I think he’s even really grown and matured, and I’m excited for him because I think we’re just starting to see that young man blossom.”
For Longwood, the win marked their fourth straight over Gardner-Webb, and the Lancers are 2-0 in the Big South for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Longwood stays at home to host Campbell on Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. The game will be aired on ESPN+ and WVHL 92-9 Kickin’ Country.
“The guys have earned a good day off tomorrow,” Aldrich said. “They’ll rest tomorrow. Then we’ll hit the ground running for Campbell on Monday. That’s going to be a huge challenge for us. They’re an outstanding team, a veteran team. It’s gonna be a great test for us. They’re going to be hungry to come play us, and we’re going to need to defend the home court.”
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.
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