December 18, 2003
BELMONT, N.C. – Longwood University dropped a disappointing 64-60 men’s college basketball decision at Belmont Abbey College Thursday night in North Carolina. The Lancers rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half but fell just short while losing their seventh consecutive game. Senior All-America candidate Charles Stephens/Danville (GW-Danville) led Longwood, now 2-9, with his seventh double-double of 20 points and a season-high 19 rebounds. The Crusaders improved to 5-1 this season. The Lancers are now idle until after the Christmas holiday break and will play again Dec. 29, hosting Lenoir-Rhyne College in Lancer Hall at 7 p.m..
Longwood trailed 48-34 with less than 11 minutes remaining before a 20-7 run allowed the Lancers an opportunity to win the contest down the stretch. Stephens sparked the comeback with eight of his 18 second-half points during the run, capped by back-to-back three-point field goals from freshman Husein Pistoljevic/Richland, Wash. (Hanford). Pistoljevic’s latter trey brought Longwood to within 55-54 at 3:45. A Stephens basket made the score 57-56 with 2:43 remaining, and his two free throws at 1:30 had the score at 60-58 following an Abbey three-pointer. After another Crusader bucket, Stephens made two more free throws with 53.4-seconds left as the scoreboard read 62-60. Following a Lancer stop defensively, Longwood could not convert on a three-point attempt, and the hosts made 2-3 free throws with 5.3-seconds on the clock to secure the win.
Belmont Abbey had opened the game with an 8-1 run over the first five minutes before Longwood fought back to tie it at 8-8 (13:21) on a jumper from freshman Michael Jefferson/Chesterfield (Meadowbrook). Jefferson followed with a fast-break dunk for a 10-8 lead at 13:05 as the Lancers extended their margin to 24-19 with 5:00 left before the intermission. The Crusaders, however, closed the half with a 12-2 run to lead 31-26 at the break.
Stephens added three assists three steals, and three blocks to his 20 points and 19 rebounds. As mentioned, he scored 18 points in the second half, including 14 points down the stretch over the final 10:10 of the game. Jefferson finished with 11 points and six rebounds, while Pistoljevic added 10 points off the bench. Longwood shot 40% (26-65) from the field, including 3-17 three-pointers, and 50% (5-10) at the free throw line.
Belmont Abbey was led by junior Rafael Moreira with a game-high 21 points, scoring the majority of his points in the paint. Antonio Howard added 12 points off the bench for the Crusaders. The Abbey shot 46% (28-61) from the field, including 3-9 on three-pointers, and 56% (5-9) at the line.
