Longwood men’s basketball battled back from deep adversity in their Big South Tournament quarterfinal game against Winthrop on March 8, but the initial deficit proved too big for the Lancers. Sophomore guard Colby Garland’s season-high 24 points were not enough to mount the improbable comeback.
The Longwood Lancers men’s basketball team entered Johnson City, Tennessee off a win against USC Upstate on the final day of the regular season. The Lancers were set to face off against their opponent from last year’s quarterfinals, the Winthrop Eagles. Longwood raced out to an 8-2 lead but were then answered by a 9-0 Winthrop run. Winthrop took control of the first half from there, stretching the lead to 13 with under three to go. The lead only got larger as the half went on, as Winthrop, just like their game against Longwood in the Joan Perry Brock Center dominated the entire first half leading it at a score of 45-24.
Longwood began the second half with urgency and fight, quickly trimming the deficit to 15 points with 11 minutes to go. Fouls began to pile up for both sides, as Garland kept drawing fouls for Longwood. After team leader and graduate student forward Michael Christmas hit a deep three, Longwood’s deficit was just eight. Although the Lancers never quit and remained physical throughout the game, Winthrop made clutch shots at the end to pull away 88-79. “Tonight was a frustrating night for us,” said Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich. “To be honest, a little bit of a microcosm of our season.”
Longwood men’s basketball finishes the season with an 18-14 record and while it’s another winning season, the 20-win season streak that had lasted three seasons was snapped. “Whether your team is at the top or whether your team is struggling, you're always trying to evaluate how the organization is going… my hope for these guys is that they do learn, " Aldrich said. “I don’t think anybody in that locker room thinks we met expectations.”
This game signaled the end of the collegiate basketball career of Christmas, a fan favorite, who has been at Longwood for four years and was part of two NCAA tournament appearances. “[Michael Christmas] has really elevated the Longwood basketball brand…he made it cool to go Longwood if you were a basketball player in Virginia,” said Aldrich. “Michael’s loyalty to the program, and his commitment to the program…Michael came back [last season] because he thought this was the best place for him to develop…He’s a fine young man”
