Box Score
FARMVILLE, Va. -- Glenn Cosey scored a game-high 24 points, including 18 in the first half, and Orlando Williams added 20 points, including 17 in the second half, as Eastern Kentucky University of the Ohio Valley Conference took a 76-67 men's basketball victory against Longwood University on Saturday evening at Willett Hall in Farmville. The visiting Colonels (7-3) rallied from 37-33 halftime deficit with a 22-5 run midway through the second half, before the Lancers (3-7) managed to get within eight points late in the contest (69-61, 4:12). Senior Tristan Carey/Colonial Beach scored a team-high 22 points to lead Longwood, who will take a week off for fall semester exams before hosting NCAA Division II Bluefield State College on Saturday, December 14 at 5 p.m. at Willett Hall in Farmville.
"I thought our guys gave a tremendous effort," said first-year Longwood head coach Jayson Gee. "I thought our nemesis today was our turnovers. We just had too many turnovers. You have to give their defense some credit. Any time you play a team that is second in the nation in steals, you expect them to steal the ball a lot from you, and I hope our fans can appreciate the herculean effort that we had to put forth to be competitive in that game."
Longwood took an early 5-2 lead at 18:20 after a three-point field goal by Carey and a jumper from sophomore transfer Leron Fisher/Baltimore, Maryland. Eastern Kentucky battled back with a 14-7 run to lead 16-12 at 12:33, getting four three-pointers, including three by Cosey. The Lancers answered back with a 13-3 run with points from five different players, including three-pointers by sophomore Lucas Woodhouse/Greenlawn, New York and Fisher, along with an old-fashioned three-point play from freshman Darrion Allen/Pompano Beach, Florida, off the bench, to lead 25-19 at 7:17. The Colonels responded with seven unanswered points, capped with a layup by Cosey, to lead 26-25 with 4:25 on the first-half clock. Longwood, however, finished the half strong by outscoring the visitors 12-8 over the final 3:33 to lead 37-33 at the intermission. Fisher had 10 points at the break to lead the hosts, while Cosey already had 18 points for EKU.
Longwood led 40-35 with 17:48 remaining after another three-pointer by Carey, but Eastern Kentucky began its decisive run to take control, outscoring the Lancers 22-5 for its largest lead of the game at 64-49 with 7:53 left. Six different players scored points during the outburst, including eight points by Williams, seven by Corey Walden and six by Cosey. Longwood fought back once-again, behind nine quick points from Carey, toward a 12-5 run that had the Lancers within 69-61 at 4:12. The Colonels, though, answered with a four-point play after the final media timeout (3:45), as Williams made a three-pointer, was fouled, and made the free throw … and three of four free throws by EKU over the final 1:49 secured the outcome.
Carey led Longwood with his team-high 22 points, 16 in the second half -- making 5-8 three-pointers, adding game highs of seven rebounds and four steals. Carey moved into 15th place on the all-time scoring list, now with 1,107 career points. Fisher and sophomore Karl Ziegler/Annandale each contributed 10 points for the Lancers, while redshirt-junior Jeylani Dublin/Brooklyn, New York had nine points and a game-high seven rebounds off the bench. Woodhouse finished with six points and a game-high nine assists. Longwood shot 58% (22-38) from the field, including 56% (9-16) on three-pointers and 67% (9-16) at the free throw line.
Cosey led Eastern Kentucky with his game-high 24 points, making 6-12 three-pointers. Williams had 20 points for the Colonels, including 4-8 three-pointers, while Walden finished with eight points, five assists and a game-high four steals. EKU shot 47% (25-53) from the field, including 37% (13-35) on three-pointers and 87% (13-15) at the line. The Colonels, picked to win the OVC East Division, forced 22 Longwood turnovers that they converted into 33 points.
Longwood and Eastern Kentucky were meeting for only the second time in the sport, and the Colonels lead the series, 2-0.
