December 30, 2004
BOX SCORE
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Longwood University forced its second-straight Top 20 opponent to work for its victory Thursday night while falling 95-69 to #17 Cincinnati at the Las Vegas Holiday Classic. The Lancers (1-15) trailed just 50-42 at halftime, and were within 10 points at 72-62 with 7:34 remaining before the unbeaten Bearcats (11-0) closed with a 23-7 run to take the win. Senior Jason Maxiell led Cincinnati with a game-high 30 points, while sophomore Michael Jefferson/Chesterfield (Meadowbrook) led Longwood with 27 points. LU will play Valparaiso on Friday, December 31, at 2 p.m. ET, its fourth and final game of the exempt tournament.
Cincinnati scored the first two baskets of the game to lead 4-0 at 19:25 before Longwood came right back to tie the game at 4-4 (18:44). Bearcat coach Bob Huggins called a 30-second timeout that propelled UC on a 5-0 run to lead 9-4 at 17:21 as Maxiell (6-7, 250) already had five points. The Lancers battled back again with two unanswered baskets to trail 9-8 (16:22), and LU was within 11-10 at 14:52 on a pair of free throws from Jefferson.
The Bearcats used a 20-8 run to lead 31-18 with 9:55 remaining in the first half as Maxiell tallied seven points. Longwood again fought back, though, and was within five points at 47-42 late in the opening half (1:12) before a three-pointer gave Cincinnati the 50-42 halftime advantage. The Lancers narrowed the margin behind 12 points from Jefferson and a pair of three-pointers from sophomore Husein Pistoljevic/Richland, Wash. (Hanford).
Longwood outscored #17 Cincinnati 12-8 to open the second half, trailing just 58-54 with 14:08 left to play as sophomore Maurice Sumter/Alexandria (T.C. Williams) scored five points from the free throw line. A 7-0 run by the Bearcats, aided by a technical foul on the LU bench, put UC back in front by double digits (65-54) at 12:09. The Lancers again tried to rally back, and managed to close to within 10 points at 72-62 (7:35) before the late run by Cincinnati secured the win, including the game’s final seven points.
Jefferson’s 27 points came on 7-12 shooting from the field, including 4-6 on three-pointers, and 9-11 at the line while adding three assists. Sumter finished with 12 points, including 7-8 at the line, with six rebounds and four steals. Freshman Lamar Barrett/Providence, R.I. (St. Andrews) contributed eights points, and Pistoljevic had six points on the two treys. LU shot 38% (22-58) from the field, including 47% (8-17) on three-pointers, and 77% (17-22) at the line.
Maxiell’s 30 points came on 10-14 shooting from the field, and 10-14 at the line, adding eight rebounds and seven blocks. Eric Hicks added 17 points and nine rebounds, Jihad Muhammad had 15 points and five assists off the bench, and James White contributed 10 points for the Bearcats. UC shot 52% (34-65) from the field, including 33% (5-15) on three-pointers, and 69% (22-32) at the line.
Longwood had lost 105-79 at #1 Illinois Monday (Dec. 27), and 84-63 at Northern Iowa (Dec. 23) in its previous games involved with the Las Vegas Holiday Classic. The game against Valparaiso will be the Lancers’ fourth game in nine days against a team that advanced to last year’s NCAA Tournament. The Crusaders (3-8) lost to Northern Iowa 67-49 late Thursday, and will be playing their fourth game in four days.
