November 15, 2006

BOX SCORE

NORFOLK, Va. – Longwood University took a 65-54 men’s basketball road victory at Norfolk State University Wednesday night in Norfolk. The Lancers (2-1) outscored the host Spartans 16-5 over the final 8:48, and were led by sophomore Kirk Williams/White Plains, N.Y. (Woodlands) with a game-high 16 points off the bench while Tony Murphy led NSU (0-2) with 12 points. Longwood will play again Friday, November 17, at George Washington University of the Atlantic 10 Conference in Washington, D.C..

Longwood trailed 31-26 at the intermission before taking control of the contest about midway through the second half and pulling away at the end. The Lancers closed to within 33-31 just 2:24 after the break but Norfolk State quickly took its largest lead of the game at 44-37 with 12:53 remaining. Longwood, however, stormed back with a 15-5 run that began and ended with three-point field goals by freshman Kevin Swecker/Manchester, Md. (Mount Saint Joseph) to put the visitors in front for good, 52-49, at 8:48. The run included consecutive offensive rebound-dunks by Williams who also tallied six quick points.

The Lancers continued to dominate the action down the stretch with their game-ending 13-5 run to provide for the final comfortable margin of victory. Norfolk State was within 55-53 at 5:39 but Longwood answered with six-straight points, including two free throws by senior Maurice Sumter/Alexandria (T.C. Williams), a jumper from junior Brandon Giles/Gaithersburg, Md. (Magruder), and a layup by Williams. Sumter and Giles each added a pair of free throws over the final 2:16 as the Spartans could only muster one more point in the contest.

Longwood had opened the game with the first points as Sumter connected on a jumper on the first possession just 17-seconds into contest. Norfolk State took advantage of a 14-2 run to lead 14-8 at 11:26. The Lancers battled back to lead 19-18 with just 5:55 left in the half as senior Husein Pistoljevic/Richland, Wash. (Hanford) made a three-pointer and Williams added the first of his three dunks in the game. The Spartans rallied back to lead 28-21 at 1:43 before Pistoljevic nailed another trey and added 2-3 free throws when fouled on another three-point attempt. A steal and layup by Murphy made it a five-point margin for the hosts at halftime.

Williams finished with 16 points and eight rebounds to lead Longwood, making 8-9 shots from the floor while playing just 24 minutes. Sumter added 14 points and seven rebounds, adding two blocks as well, while Pistoljevic had 10 points off the bench – making 2-3 three-pointers. Giles finished with eight points, four assists, and three steals while Swecker also had eight points – making 2-3 three-pointes as well. Senior Clayton Morgan/Brooklyn, N.Y. (Fashion Institute) grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Lancers, adding seven points to the attack. LU shot 44% (24-54) from the field, including 57% (13-23) in the second half, 25% (4-16) on three-pointers, and 57% (13-23) at the free throw line.

Murphy had 12 points to lead Norfolk State but made just 5-18 shots, while Calvin Brown contributed 11 points and eight rebounds. NSU shot 39% (21-54) from the field, including 13% (2-16) on three-pointers, and 46% (10-22) at the line. The Spartans committed 19 turnovers that led to 18 Longwood points.

Longwood earned its first-ever win over Norfolk State in three meetings, and it was the second consecutive road win for the Lancers who had also won their final away game a year ago (Hampton, 69-66).