November 20, 2006
BOX SCORE
RICHMOND, Va. – Longwood University staged a furious second-half comeback attempt that fell short while dropping a disappointing 83-72 men’s basketball road decision at the University of Richmond Monday night at the Robins Center. The Lancers (2-3) rallied from a 20-point deficit with 13:23 remaining to within five points at 73-68 with 3:50 left but could get no closer. Senior Maurice Sumter/Alexandria (T.C. Williams) led the visitors with a game-high 22 points, while Dan Geriot led the Spiders (3-0) with 19 points. Longwood will play again this Saturday, November 25, hosting Shenandoah University in Willett Hall beginning at 3 p.m..
Richmond led 44-31 at halftime after shooting a torrid 74% (17-23) from the field, including an incredible 80% (8-10) on three-point field goals. Ryan Butler was perfect in 18 minutes, making 5-5 field goals, including 3-3 on three-pointers, and 1-1 at the free throw line for 14 first-half points. David Gonzalvez added 12 points off the bench, making 5-6 shots from the floor. The Spiders led by as many as 16 points in the opening period, though Longwood was able to stay in the game with 15-19 free throws as Sumter (4-4) scored 12 points and senior Clayton Morgan/Brooklyn, N.Y. (Fashion Institute) (4-5) added 10 points.
The Spiders quickly added two more three-pointers to start the second half and led 54-34 at 17:41. A layup by Morgan cut the margin to 56-41 with 16:00 remaining but Richmond was able to push the margin back to 20 points at 61-41 with 13:23 left to play. Longwood refused to quit, however, and proceeded to outscore the hosts 27-12 over the next 9:33 to close to within 73-68 at 3:50. Sumter scored eight points during the run, including and old-fashioned three-point play inside and a layup to close the late spurt. Sophomore Kirk Williams/White Plains, N.Y. (Woodlands) added six points before fouling out with 7:47 on the clock, and junior Brandon Giles/Gaithersburg, Md. (Magruder) had five points with a long three-pointer as well. The hosts led 76-70 with just under three minutes remaining when a Lancer three-point attempt was halfway down before coming back out, a shot that would have made it a three-point game. Unfortunately, it did not go in and Richmond made 7-8 free throws over the final 2:32 to secure its home victory.
Sumter finished with a game-high 22 points to lead Longwood, including 5-5 at the free throw line while playing 39 minutes. Morgan scored a season-high 17 points, adding six rebounds and three steals, while Giles and Williams each contributed 10 points for the Lancers. LU shot 50% (24-48) from the field, including 55% (16-29) in the second half, 33% (5-15) on three-pointers, and 79% (19-24) at the line.
Geriot led Richmond with his team-high 19 points, including 15 points in the second half. Others in double-figure scoring for the Spiders were Butler (16 points), David Brewster (13 points), Gonzalvez (12 points), and Peter Thomas (12 points). UR shot 72% (28-39) from the field, including 69% (11-16) on three-pointers, and 64% (16-25) at the line.
