December 3, 2008

BOX SCORE

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University rallied from a late 13-point deficit to take a 79-76 home victory past visiting James Madison University Wednesday night in Willett Hall on-campus in Farmville.  Senior Ryan Bogan/Oxford, Pa. (Harcum JC) made a three-point field goal with 1:45 remaining to give the Lancers the lead for good (71-69), and the hosts made 5-6 free throws over the final 33-seconds to secure the come-from-behind triumph.  Bogan scored a season-high and game-high 24 points to lead the Lancers (5-4), and redshirt-junior Dana Smith/Woodbridge (C.D. Hylton) had a double-double of 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.  Pierre Curtis led the Dukes (4-3) with 16 points.  Longwood, enjoying its finest Division I start and best overall since 2002-03, will now be idle for fall semester examinations before playing again on Sunday, December 14, at Virginia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for the first-time ever in Blacksburg at 2 p.m..
   
Longwood jumped out to an early 30-21 lead at 7:49 of the first half as Bogan scored 10 quick points.  James Madison of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), though, closed the period with a 20-5 run to lead 41-35 at the intermission behind Curtis' nine points.  The Dukes continued their momentum in the second half and led 52-41 at 16:28 after making three quick three-pointers.  The Lancers closed to within 52-47 with six-straight points as Smith made two baskets inside and Bogan made a jumper, but JMU extended its advantage once-again with an 11-3 run to lead 63-50 with 9:45 left.  The visitors still led 65-52 at 8:55 after a jumper from Curtis but a furious 16-3 run by LU had the hosts within 69-68 at 2:53.  Freshman Antwan Carter/St. Petersburg, Fla. (St. Petersburg) scored the first nine points of the run, and Bogan added a three-pointer and a jumper before Smith's layup made it a one-point game.  Bogan's three-pointer put Longwood ahead for good at 1:45, and junior #E.J. Dawson#/Ft. Belvoir (Mount Vernon) added another three-pointer at 00:59 before Bogan (2-2) and junior Kevin Swecker/Manchester, Md. (Mount Saint Joseph) (3-4) sealed the outcome at the free throw line.  The final buzzer set-off a wild celebration by the frenzied crowd of 1,603, including a fourth consecutive jam-packed student section in Willett Hall (capacity: 1,807).
   
“That was certainly a great win for us tonight,” said sixth-year head coach Mike Gillian.  “Over time, we have moved the program through many stages and now we are at the point where it is realistic to believe we can put ourselves in position to win games against a high level of competition.  Regardless, you have to make plays at the end of close games to actually come out on top and that's what we were able to do tonight.  Our play in the last five minutes of the game was superb on both ends.

“What is worth noting, and does indeed have an impact on the game as it goes along, is the crowd.  Our home crowds, especially the Longwood student section, have been great this year but tonight they took it to a new level.  The noise, the energy, the enthusiasm was just incredible.  Everyone that comes out to our games has made Willett Hall a difficult place to play and it shows.  As a team, we feel like we deserved to win, and we feel like the crowd deserved that win just as much as we did.”

Bogan led Longwood with his season-high and game-high 24 points on 9-15 shooting from the field, including 4-5 from three-point territory, adding nine rebounds.  Smith finished with his double-double of 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Swecker had 11 points and five rebounds for the Lancers.  Carter added his nine crucial points along with four rebounds, and sophomore Durann Neil/Pleasantville, N.J. (Leap Academy) contributed eight points and a game-high four assists.  LU shot 43% (29-67) from the field, including 53% (16-30) in the second half, finishing 37% (7-19) on three-pointers, and 70% (14-20) at the free throw line.  The Lancers forced 19 JMU turnovers that they converted into 28 points while also posting a 12-2 advantage in fastbreak points.
    
Curtis led James Madison with 16 points, adding seven rebounds, while Kyle Swanston (nine rebounds) and Julius Wells (seven rebounds) each added 13 points, and Devon Moore finished with 11 points.  JMU shot 48% (29-60) from the field, including 55% (16-29) in the first half, finishing 33% (8-24) on three-pointers, and 59% (10-17) at the line.
    
Longwood evened the all-time series against James Madison at 2-2 since first playing in 2005 as each program has won on its own floor.  The Lancers have now won two-straight games this season while off to their best start since first playing a Division I schedule in 2004-05, and their finest overall beginning to a season since 2002-03.  Longwood is 3-1 at home this season and averaging an impressive 1,313 through the four games behind the tremendous student support this semester.