From their first basket of the game to the last buzzer, Big South No. 2 High Point University (14-4, 5-1) didn’t allow Longwood (6-14, 2-5) to come within two points of taking the lead. Despite coming off a momentous win at home, the Lancers lost 72-67 on Monday, Jan. 19.
The energy seen in Willett Hall didn’t seem to transfer in the first half, which saw Longwood trailing by 18 points. At halftime, Longwood only made .269 (7-of-26) of their field goals, to High Point’s .462 (12-of-26) field goal percent.
“I have to give credit to (High Point’s) defense because we only shot 26 percent in the first half, but I thought there were a whole bunch of shots that we've made throughout the year that just didn't go down,” said Head Coach Jayson Gee to Longwood Athletics’ official website.
Longwood improved to a .500 (16-to-32) field goal percent in the second half and lowered High Point’s to .348 (8-to-23) as they rallied to close the gap. Senior guard/captain Quincy Taylor led the offensive effort with 17 points in the half.
Freshman guard Kanayo Obi-Rapu Jr. and junior guard Leron Fisher also contributed, each finishing in double-digits.
Following halftime, Longwood began to pull down more rebounds. Junior forward Shaquille Johnson and freshman guard Ryan Badowski each entered the second half with zero rebounds and finished with five.
"We just didn't do enough offensively in the first half to come away with a victory," Gee said to Longwood Athletics’ official website. "When you play a good team, you have to be able to execute.”
Looking at the second half alone, Longwood won the half 45-34. They could not make up the last five points to fully overcome their first half deficit, ultimately ending in a loss.
High Point senior guard Devante Wallace, junior forward Lorenzo Cugini, junior forward John Brown and junior guard Adam Weary all had double-digit nights; Wallace also contributed a game-high seven rebounds.
Both teams remain stagnant in Big South standings. The Lancers will return to North Carolina on Thursday, Jan. 22 to face Gardner-Webb.
"These guys have a great way of wiping the slate clean. That's a credit to them and their character, and our leader, too,” said Gee to Longwood Athletics’ official website. “We've preached all year long we can't feel sorry for ourselves when things don't go our way, and what we try to do is build on the positive that we did fight back, that we didn't give up. Guys have really rallied around that, and we need to continue to do so."
