A dominant, high-energy performance by the Longwood Lancers earned them their second conference victory, defeating the Liberty Flames 85-71 in Willett Hall. Longwood (6-13, 2-4) moves up one spot to No. 9; Liberty (6-13, 0-6) remains winless in the Big South.
Prior to the game, Liberty held Big South teams to .394 from the field; while Longwood surpassed the average, shooting .459 (28-of-61) against the Flames. In three days, Longwood flipped their three-point percentage from .357 (10-of-28) against Presbyterian College (PC) to .552 (16-of-29) last night.
Although Liberty out-rebounded Longwood 37-29, the Lancers forced them to 20 turnovers maintaining control of play (now 4-1 when forcing 20 or more turnovers). At one point, Longwood was ahead by 23 points, their largest lead since playing Penn State Beaver seven games ago.
“It was great energy, great atmosphere. A lot of fans came out, even cheering for the warm ups,” said senior captain/ guard Quincy Taylor. The white-out gym was packed, under 150 people shy of reaching capacity.
Junior forward Shaquille Johnson controlled the game, scoring a career-high 31 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Improving from a 27.1(3-of-14) FG% in the PC game to a 56.5 (13-of-23) FG%; finishing the game with a highlight reel windmill dunk.
“I really believe that he [Johnson] was so focused and ready to have a game like this. He’s been really frustrated, he knows he’s better than what he’s playing, and he’s put so much pressure on himself,” said Head Coach Jayson Gee. “I talked to him before the game and said your defense is enough, stop beating yourself up. I think tonight he stayed positive.”
Taylor and Johnson combined for 52 points throughout the game—four of their combined nine assists were with each other. Taylor was one of three players above 20 points on the court (Liberty junior forward David Andoh with 24 points) and shot .833 (5-of-6) from beyond the arc, alongside freshman guard Ryan Badowski.
“He [Taylor] ran our team, he was solid, and he made some big three point shots,” said Gee. “He did what a good leader does and performed at a high level today.”
Despite Longwood’s commanding offensive presence, doubt appeared as Liberty came within eight with 38 seconds left in play. The comeback was led by Andoh, who posted 18 of his 24 points in the second half.
“I think that says a lot of about that coaching staff and a lot about those kids. We just had some mental errors that helped in that area, but you’ve got to really give credit for being able to fight back in a hostile environment says a lot about the character of that team and the leadership out there,” said Gee.
The Lancers will travel to North Carolina on Monday, Jan. 19 to face Big South No. 2 High Point University (13-4, 4-1). Gee believes the win against Liberty will allow the team to “build this momentum and take it on the road” as they continue to play without injured center Lotanna Nwogbo (out 4-6 weeks).
