Box Score
LongwoodULancers YouTube Channel: GAME HIGHLIGHTS / TRISTAN CAREY HIGHLIGHTS
FARMVILLE, Va. -- Junior
Tristan Carey/Colonial Beach scored a career-high, game-high and school Division I-record 40 points, including a school DI-record eight three-point field goals, adding a career-high and game-high 12 rebounds, to lead Longwood University to a thrilling 102-101 Big South Conference men's basketball victory past North Division and in-state archrival Liberty University on Wednesday night at Willett Hall in Farmville. The Lancers (6-22, 3-11 Big South) won their second-straight game, and third in the last four games overall, while withstanding a last-minute comeback attempt by the visitors. Redshirt-sophomore
Jeylani Dublin/Brooklyn, New York and freshman
Michael Kessens/Nyon, Switzerland each scored 17 points and freshman
Karl Ziegler/Annandale had a career-high 13 points, off the bench. Davon Marshall scored a career-high 31 points for the Flames (9-19, 5-9 Big South), who had won the first meeting between the two schools in Lynchburg, 74-47, on January 22. Longwood will play its final non-conference game this season on the road at the University of Tennessee at Martin on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 1 p.m. in the 2013 Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters.
Longwood took an early 9-5 lead at 16:03 behind five quick points from Carey, including a slam dunk to open the contest that was followed by the first of his three-point field goals. The Lancers still led 15-14 at 13:30 following a layup by Ziegler, but Liberty took advantage of an 11-4 run to lead 25-19 at 8:51, getting layups to begin and end the run from John Caleb Sanders. The game was tied at 28-28 with 6:00 left in the first half after two free throws by Carey before the Lancers closed the period on a 19-10 run to lead 47-38 at halftime. Carey made three of his five first-half three-pointers over the final 2:43 to head into the break with 23 points for the hosts. Sanders had 14 first-half points for the visitors.
Longwood began the second half where it left off, outscoring Liberty, 13-7, to lead 60-45 with 15:19 remaining, sparked by another three-pointer from Carey before Dublin added seven quick points. The Flames, however, fought back with nine-straight points to pull to within 60-54 at 12:09, getting five points from Tavares Speaks, and the visitors were within 70-62 at 7:28 after two free throws by Sanders. The Lancers responded once again, this time with an 8-2 spurt to lead 78-64 at 4:59, as Carey made yet another three-pointer, and the hosts led 84-70 with 3:20 left on a pair of free throws from junior
David Robinson/Chesterfield. Longwood seemed to be in control, leading 89-76 at 2:34 on Carey's record eighth triple, and it was 96-86 at 0:54 following a dunk from Kessens that had the boisterous pro-Longwood crowd of 1,693 roaring. Liberty, though, would not go away and closed to within 101-99 with five-seconds to play after a layup by Marshall, who scored eight quick points with two late three-pointers, along with a three-pointer from Sanders and a dunk by Speaks. The Lancers were able to secure the outcome with a free throw from Kessens at 0:04 before Sanders added two free throws with one-second on the clock.
“WOW! What a game,” said 10th-year Longwood head coach Mike Gillian. “I'm so happy for our players to finish the home part of the schedule on a high note with that win. The crowd was great again -- if there is a better student cheering section in the Big South, I haven't seen it yet. We are beginning to understand how to transcend the process of being in position to be successful to coming out on top at the end of the game. When that happens for a team, it's pretty special to watch.”
Tristan Carey led Longwood with his school Division I-record 40 points, making a school DI-record 8-15 three-pointers, and adding the career-high and game-high 12 rebounds for his second-straight and fifth career double-double. The 40 points are the highest single-game total this season by a player in the Big South, and the eight three-pointers tie the most made by a conference player this season. Carey's 40-point effort is the fifth-highest, single-game scoring total in the 37-year history of the program, and the most points scored in a game since Jason Pryor scored 41 points on two occasions during 2000-01. The eight three-pointers are the third-highest total in the history of the program, only behind the school-record, nine three-pointers made in a game by both Husein Pistoljevic (2003-04) and Hunter Hoggatt (2000-01). Carey has scored 71 points in his last two games, making 22-39 field goals (56%), 12-23 three-pointers (52%) and 15-19 free throws (79%).
Dublin and Kessens each had 17 points, and Ziegler had his career-high 13 points, adding a career-high five assists for the Lancers. Freshman
Lucas Woodhouse/Greenlawn, New York contributed a game-high 10 assists, adding seven points, and Robinson had eight points. LU shot 50% (31-62) from the field, including 39% (9-23) on three-pointers and 76% (31-41) at the free throw line.
Marshall led Liberty with his career-high 31 points (6-12 3FG), including 29 points in the second half, while Sanders had 24 points and a game-high 10 assists, and Speaks added 17 points. The Flames shot 54% (37-68) from the field, including 55% (12-22) on three-pointers and 63% (15-24) at the line.
The two teams combined to score 118 points in the second half, 61 combined points over the final 4:54, 55 in the last 3:46 and 34 over the final 1:54. Twenty-three of the points scored in the final two minutes were by Liberty, though it was not enough.
Longwood and Liberty were playing for the 27th time since 1978, and the Lancers lead the series, 18-9, including 13-1 in games played in Farmville and 11-0 in games played in Willett Hall.
It was Senior Night for Longwood senior
Stephen Shockley/Leesburg, who started both halves and played seven minutes with a rebound and a steal.
Following the BracketBusters game at UT Martin, Longwood will play its final two regular-season games on the road at North Division opponent Campbell on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. and at North Division and in-state rival VMI on March 2 at 1 p.m.
Liberty will host Austin Peay on Feb. 23 in the BracketBusters event.
