March 5, 2004
BOX SCORE
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Longwood University rallied from an 18-point deficit in the second half en route to a come-from-behind 76-66 victory past the University of Northern Colorado in the consolation game of the National Provisional Tournament Friday night in Fort Myers, Florida. The Lancers trailed 43-25 with 18:27 remaining before an 11-0 run sparked the comeback toward the season-ending triumph at the Alico Arena on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University.
Against #3 seed Northern Colorado (6-22), #4 seed Longwood rallied from the 18-point deficit in the second half en route to the come-from-behind victory. An 11-0 run sparked the comeback toward the season-ending triumph, a run that carried Longwood toward a 25-6 onslaught that gave the Lancers their first lead of the game at 50-49 with 9:25 remaining. A jumper from freshman Maurice Sumter/Alexandria (T.C. Williams) put LU ahead for good, 55-54, at 7:31 and though the Bears closed to within 62-61 at 4:00, the Lancers connected on 6-8 free throws over the final 2:30 to secure the win. The contest had begun with Northern Colorado jumping ahead 7-2 just 2:39 into the game. The Bears led 16-10 with 13:40 left in the first half before taking advantage of a 14-0 run to lead 30-10 at 8:31. Longwood fought back to within 33-19 before Northern Colorado took a comfortable 38-25 lead at the intermission. Sumter and senior Nathan Fortener/Hartford, Ky. (Ohio Co.) kept the Lancers within range during the opening 20 minutes with 10 points and eight points, respectively.
Sumter finished with a career-high 29 points to lead all scorers in the contest, shooting 12-18 from the field, including 2-3 on three-point field goals, and 3-4 at the free throw line. Sumter also had nine rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. Fortener added a career-high 18 points along with six rebounds, while freshman Michael Jefferson/Chesterfield (Meadowbrook) contributed 16 points, five rebounds, five steals, and two blocks. Senior Ryan Earl/Tustin, Calif. (Tustin) dished-out a season-high nine assists for the Lancers. Longwood shot 46% (27-59) from the field, including 58% (15-26) in the second half, making 30% (6-20) on three-pointers, and 76% (16-21) at the line. Vincent Jackson and Erik Olson each scored 16 points to lead the Bears. Northern Colorado, also reclassifying to Division I along with Longwood, shot 43% (27-63) from field, though just 32% (11-34) in the second half, including 38% (9-24) on three-pointers, and only 38% (3-8) at the line.
Longwood completes the 2003-04 season with a final record of 5-22, and the Lancers of first-year head coach Mike Gillian could return as many as nine letterwinners for next season. The Lancers must meet all NCAA Division I scheduling requirements for 2004-05, meaning that Longwood will play as least 26 Division I contests.
