NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- Longwood University dropped an 80-54 men's basketball decision on the road Monday night at Stephen F. Austin University of the Southland Conference in Nacogdoches, Texas. The host Lumberjacks (2-0) broke open a close game early with a 13-2 run to close the first half; led 34-24 at the intermission, and never looked back while getting a game-high 15 points from Jereal Scott. The Lancers (0-2) were led by freshman
David Robinson|Chesterfield (Cosby) with a career-high 11 points off the bench. Longwood returns home for three-straight games in Willett Hall, beginning on Thursday night, Nov. 18, against the University of Virginia-Wise in Farmville with tip-off for the home opener scheduled for 7 p.m.
Longwood and Stephen F. Austin played close for most of the first half with 10 lead changes and four ties during the first 20 minutes. The Lancers led 18-16 with 7:12 left in the opening period after a three-point field goal from Robinson. LU was still ahead 22-21 at 4:52 following a basket by junior transfer
Jeremiah Bowman|Washington, D.C. (Harcum JC). The Lumberjacks, however, closed the half with a 13-2 run over the final 3:54 as five different players scored points to give the hosts the 34-24 advantage at the break.
Stephen F. Austin continued with its momentum in the second half, outscoring Longwood 13-5 over the first 4:55 of the period to lead 47-29 with 15:05 remaining. Overall, it was a 26-7 run spanning the two periods as Scott scored seven points, including a three-point play inside, to cap the game-turning spree. Longwood was within 49-33 at 13:40 on the clock after a layup from junior
Antwan Carter|St. Petersburg, Fla. (St. Petersburg), but could get no closer during the remainder of the game as the Lumberjacks extended their margin to as many as 27 points during the final minutes.
Robinson led Longwood with his career-high 11 points off the bench in only 14 minutes. Carter finished with eight points and five rebounds for the Lancers before fouling out with 9:57 left to play. Bowman added seven points and five assists, while juniors
Jan van der Kooij|Tiendeveen, The Netherlands (Roelof van Echten) and
Martiz Washington|Hopewell (Christchurch) each contributed seven points as well. LU shot 37.0% (17-46) from the field, including 20.0% (4-20) on three-pointers, and 59.3% (16-27) at the free throw line.
The 6-7, 230-pound Scott led Stephen F. Austin with his game-high 15 points, adding five rebounds in 24 minutes. Darius Gardner added 13 points off the bench for the Lumberjacks, scoring all 13 points during a late 4:56 stretch, including 10-10 free throws. Antonio Bostic had 11 points off the bench as well. SFAU shot 47.5% (28-59) from the field, including 33.3% (6-18) on three-pointers, and 69.2% (18-26) at the line.
Longwood and Stephen F. Austin were playing for just the second-time ever in the sport of men's basketball. The Lumberjacks have now won both meetings, including a 73-69 win in Farmville last December 12. The Lancers are 9-1 all-time against their next opponent, UVA-Wise, an NAIA Division I school located in southwest Virginia. LU was 9-3 at home last year, and is 22-5 over the past two years as the program is now 43-20 (.683) in Farmville during the past five seasons.
