It certainly wasn’t looking like the Lancers were taking on a team that had a current 20 game-losing streak early on as the LaRoche Redhawks had a 35-32 lead at the half and were tied with the Lancers at 42 apiece right before the under-12 media timeout of the second half.
Longwood sophomore guard Kanayo Obi-Rapu Jr. scored a career-high 27 points to get the Longwood offense going en route to an 89-65 victory Monday, Nov. 16. It was his second straight record-setting game as Obi-Rapu led all of the scorers Friday night as well with 22 against Randolph.
Obi-Rapu also shot a career-best .714 (10-of-14) from the floor while connecting on .625 (5-of-8) from beyond the arc. His three consecutive shots from distance ended up providing the spark the Lancers needed in order to gain any breathing room during a 17-7 run in the first six minutes of the second half.
"I thought it was a good awakening for our team," said men’s basketball head coach Jayson Gee on the official Longwood athletics website.
Gee added, "We dug the hole, so I just tried to make it a learning experience. I told them (La Roche) was going to be playing sky high, and they did. At halftime, our guys were really holding each other accountable, and I thought that contributed to the second half."
Three other Lancers tallied double-digit points as junior guard Darrion Allen had 15. Redshirt senior center Lotana Nwogbo had 13, and redshirt senior guard Tra’vaughn White added 13.
Longwood (2-0) will head to Richmond, Kentucky for the Eastern Kentucky Hoops Classic where they will face South Carolina State, Ball State and Eastern Kentucky in three consecutive days starting Friday, Nov. 20.
The weekend tournament is the first stretch of a six-game road swing that concludes at Big South Preseason favorite High Point on Dec. 2.
Longwood’s next home game will be Dec. 5 against University of Maryland-Baltimore City, a team that bested the Lancers last season in a close matchup.
11/16/2015
