January 30, 2007
BOX SCORE
NORMAN, Okla. – Longwood University dropped an 81-40 men’s basketball decision at Big 12 Conference member Oklahoma University Tuesday night at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma. The Lancers (7-17) were led by sophomore Kirk Williams/White Plains, N.Y. (Woodlands) with 14 points, while the Sooners (12-8) were led by Longar Longar and David Godbold with 16 points each. Longwood will return home to host Morgan State University of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) on Saturday afternoon, February 3, at 3 p.m. in Willett Hall on-campus in Farmville.
Oklahoma scored the first six points of the game and never looked back against the outmanned Lancers, though Longwood tried to battle in the first half. The Sooners led 6-0 just 1:35 into the contest as Tony Crocker scored six quick points. The Lancers finally got on the board at 17:57 as senior Clayton Morgan/Brooklyn, N.Y. (Fashion Institute) scored inside. A three-point field goal from senior Maurice Sumter/Alexandria (T.C. Williams) made it 9-5 at 15:20 but the visitors would get no closer against the relentless hosts who responded with six unanswered points to lead 15-5 at 11:56. Longwood was sort of hanging around late in the first half as a jumper from Sumter brought the Lancers within 33-18 with 2:04 remaining until the break. Oklahoma, however, closed the opening period with three-straight three-pointers over the final 1:17 to expand the margin to 42-18 at the intermission.
Longwood tried to reduce the margin early in the second half as senior Darren Holmes/Virginia Beach (Princess Anne) scored back-to-back baskets inside to close the deficit to 48-25 with 16:33 left to play. It was as close as the Lancers would get, though, as Oklahoma went on a 12-5 run to lead 60-28 at 13:46. The Sooners led comfortably for the remainder of the contest and took their largest lead at the end, outscoring the visitors 17-6 over the final 11: 02 of the lopsided contest.
Williams finished with a team-high 14 points off the bench in 23 minutes to lead Longwood. Sumter added 10 points, six rebounds, and two blocks while playing a season-low 25 minutes. Holmes contributed a season-high six points, a career-high five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block while making his first career start and playing a season-high 16 minutes. LU shot 32% (17-53) from the field, including 13% (2-15) on three-pointers, and 44% (4-9) at the free throw line while scoring a season-low of 40 points.
Longar and Godbold each finished with a game-high 16 points to lead Oklahoma, as Godbold added six rebounds off the bench. The Sooners had five players reach double-figure scoring as Longar and Godbold were followed by Nate Carter (15), Crocker (11), and Taylor Griffin (10) off the bench as well. Crocker added eight rebounds and four assists for the Sooners. OU shot 49% (31-63) from the field, including 31% (5-16) on three-pointers, and 67% (14-21) at the line. The host forced 21 turnovers that were converted into 28 points, while also totaling 52 points in the paint on the night – 46 of those points on layups and/or dunks (5).
It was the first-ever meeting between Longwood and Oklahoma, though the Lancers had competed against the Sooners’ head coach, Jeff Capel, last season at VCU (L 91-80, 12-22-06).
