December 1, 2006
BOX SCORE
FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University dropped a heartbreaking 61-59 men’s basketball overtime thriller to visiting Navy Friday night in Willett Hall. The Midshipmen (6-2) rallied from a seven-point deficit with 3:34 left in regulation before scoring the first nine points in overtime and then held on for the hard-fought road win. The tough-luck Lancers (3-5) were led by senior Clayton Morgan/Brooklyn, N.Y. (Fashion Institute) with a game-high 21 points, while junior Greg Sprink led Navy with 16 points. Longwood will play again on Monday, December 4, at American University in Washington, D.C. beginning at 7:30 p.m..
Longwood led 46-39 with 3:34 remaining after an old-fashioned three-point play inside from Morgan. Navy, though, scored seven unanswered points to tie it at 46-46 with 1:40 on the clock as Sprink made a three-point field goal (3:13), followed by a layup (2:47), and two free throws by junior Corey Johnson (1:40). Morgan added two free throws at 1:03 (48-46), but Johnson made two more free throws at 0:53 (48-48). Senior Maurice Sumter/Alexandria (T.C. Williams) scored inside on a layup at 0:36 (50-48), only to have Johnson make a jumper in the lane to tie it again at 50-50 (0:22). The Lancers had an opportunity to win in regulation but missed a 15-foot jumper just ahead of the final buzzer.
In OT, the Midshipmen got a three-pointer from sophomore Adam Teague at 4:35 to lead 53-50, followed quickly by a steal and layup by classmate Kaleo Kina with 4:20 left. Navy added another jumper from Sprink (3:29), and a layup by Johnson to lead 59-50 at 2:31. Longwood refused to quit, however, and battled back to within 60-57 on a three-pointer from Sumter with 44-seconds remaining. The Lancers had a potential game-tying three-point attempt with 12-seconds left that was in-and-out, and missed a putback as well before Sprink secured the outcome with 1-2 free throws at 0:09 for a four-point cushion (61-57). Morgan added a layup at the buzzer for the final narrow two-point margin of defeat.
Morgan finished with a game-high and season-high of 21 points (9-9 FT), adding nine rebounds to lead Longwood. Sumter added an outstanding all-around effort of 18 points (8-14 FG) and nine rebounds, along with game-highs of seven assists and six steals in 44 minutes for the Lancers. Sophomore Kirk Williams/White Plains, N.Y. (Woodlands) contributed 12 points, including his first career three-pointer late in the game (2:05, ot), while junior Lamar Barrett/Providence, R.I. (St. Andrews) grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to go with his five points. LU shot 37% (22-60) from the field, including just 18% (3-17) on three-pointers, and 67% (12-18) at the free throw line. The hosts out-rebounded the visitors 45-37.
Sprink scored 16 points to lead Navy, adding nine rebounds, while Johnson had 12 points and Kina totaled 11 points. The Midshipmen shot 35% (20-57) from the field, including 33% (9-27) on three-pointers, and 63% (12-19) at the line. The closely-played contest witnessed seven lead-changes, and eight ties throughout as Longwood’s largest lead was seven points (18-11, 5:54 - 1st) with Navy’s in the extra period at nine points (59-50, 2:31).
