Longwood men’s basketball tipped-off their opening game of the Big South Championships tournament on Thursday, March 8 and overpowered Winthrop 69-56 after an outstanding second half. When it mattered most, the Lancers showed their talent and poise in an intense matchup.
Longwood entered High Point, North Carolina for the quarterfinals of the Big South tournament with winning momentum. After taking down High Point 74-72 in an absolute classic regular season finale on March 2, the Lancers had to face the Winthrop Eagles in the Qubein Center. Both teams were backed with decent traveling support and the game began as close and contentious as anticipated. With a strong start from both teams, Longwood led by a point at the half, 34-33.
The second half started as neck-and-neck as the first, with both teams trying to force their style of play on the other to no avail. However, after some clutch three-pointers from Emanuel Richards and some key turnovers from the Eagles, the Lancers began to pull away and didn’t look back. With all that was on the line, Longwood seemed to play their most urgent and intense basketball with a large spotlight on them. Senior point guard Walyn Napper hit a clutch three-pointer and followed it up with a highlight-reel layup to seal the 69-56 win. Winthrop came into the game with the most free throw attempts in the nation and the Lancers held them to just seven.
Napper led the Lancers with 18 points along with 11 points from freshman shooting guard Emanuel Richards who made three three-pointers. John-John Massie added 10 points of his own and went 2-3 from beyond the arch. Longwood’s shooting stats will not jump off the page, but their ability to play connected basketball was clear to see. "The second half we dominated. The first two minutes wasn't us, but we figured it out,” Napper said. “We got the job done.”
After the heartbreak of last year’s tournament, the Lancers rebounded with a win against a strong Winthrop team. “When you’re committed to winning, you’ll do anything that’s needed to get the job done, and I think that’s what we all did,” Massie said.
This season has been a puzzling one for the Lancers. Following a historic 12-1 start Longwood would drop 12 of their next 18 and finish fifth in the conference, and would have finished dead last had they not pulled out the win against High Point. This team has been a fun one to coach in many ways. It’s also been challenging because like so many, we battle inconsistency,” said Lancers head coach Griff Aldrich.
With a memorable and fun win in the rearview for the Lancers, they will now look to take down the top seeded High Point. Since the Big South Championships are being held in their home arena, a bumper crowd will be expected for the game. If Longwood wants to dig deep and use every ounce of synergy and energy they have, the time is now. The game will tip off at noon on Saturday, March 9.
Longwood takes on the Winthrop Eagles on Feb. 10, 2024
