Box Score
HIGH POINT, N.C. -- John Brown scored a game-high 24 points, including 20 in the second half, to lead four players in double-figure scoring as High Point University took an 83-75 Big South Conference men's basketball victory past Longwood University on Wednesday night at the Millis Center in High Point, North Carolina. The Panthers (5-11, 1-2 Big South) led just 33-29 at halftime against the visiting Lancers (5-13, 0-3 Big South), before pulling away in the second half behind Brown in a contest matching North Division opponents. Senior captain
Tristan Carey/Colonial Beach scored a team-high 15 points to lead Longwood, while sophomore
Karl Ziegler/Annandale added 14 points, all scored in the second half. Longwood will play at in-state rival Radford University, another North Division opponent, on Saturday, January 18 at 4 p.m. in Radford. The game between the Lancers and the Highlanders will be web-streamed exclusively on ESPN3.
"We just have to defend better," said first-year Longwood head coach
Jayson Gee. "I thought we played well enough to win and we just didn't defend. We lost tonight because they shot 50% from the field in the second half and they scored 50 points (in the half). This has been a resilient group to this point, and they'll be fired up for the game on Saturday (at Radford)."
Longwood and High Point were tied early at 3-3 after Devante Wallace and Carey traded three-point field goals during the opening minute. A 13-7 run by the Panthers made it 16-10 at 13:31, as Anthony Lindauer came off the bench to make a pair of three-pointers. The Lancers responded with a 10-1 run to lead 20-17 at 10:29, their largest lead of the night, as sophomore captain
Lucas Woodhouse/Greenlawn, New York started it with a three-pointer and freshman
Darrion Allen/Pompano Beach, Florida end it with an old-fashioned three-point play. A layup from redshirt-junior captain
Jeylani Dublin/Brooklyn, New York tied it at 24-24 with 7:21 left in the half, and a three-pointer by sophomore transfer
Leron Fisher/Baltimore, Maryland had the visitors within 29-27 at 5:03. Brown closed the period with a layup to give the hosts a 33-29 lead at the intermission, and unfortunately, it was only a glimpse of what would come after the break.
Longwood did start the second half well, outscoring High Point, 9-4, to take its last lead of the contest at 38-37 with 16:14 left following a layup by Carey. Brown and the Panthers answered with a 13-4 run to go back in front, 50-41, at 12:26. Brown, who scored the first 10 points of the period for HPU, tallied eight during the quick outburst, while Wallace added five points. A three-pointer from Lorenzo Cugini at 10:20 gave the hosts their largest lead of the contest at 57-45. The Lancers, however, refused to go away and kept battling back … within 63-56 at 7:05 on another three-pointer by Carey, within 67-60 at 4:22 on a pair of free throws from Ziegler and within 70-64 at 2:25 on a jumper by Carey. It looked like Longwood had a stop on the next High Point possession, but an offensive rebound led to a layup by Adam Weary, via a goal-tend by freshman
Damarion Geter/Dayton, Ohio, and a foul on the play led to a free throw for a three-point play to make it 73-64 at 1:19. The Lancers were not closer than six points over the final minute, as the Panthers secured their first league victory by making 10-12 free throws.
Carey led Longwood with his team-high 15 points, adding a game-high seven rebounds. He now totals 1,227 career points to rank 12th all-time, and ranks third with 188 career three-pointers. Ziegler finished with 14 points, all scored in the second half for the Lancers, after not playing in the first half due to a coaching decision. Woodhouse and Fisher each had 13 points, and Woodhouse added a game-high 10 assists for his third double-double this season. Woodhouse now totals 312 career assists to rank fifth all-time. Longwood shot 57% (27-47) from the field, including 71% (17-24) in the second half, 47% (9-19) on three-pointers and 63% (12-19) at the free throw line.
Brown led High Point with his game-high 24 points, adding a game-high seven rebounds. Wallace had 21 points for the Panthers, Lindauer finished with 11 points, off the bench, and Cugini contributed 10 points. HPU shot 46% (25-54) from the field, including 50% (9-18) on three-pointers and 77% (24-31) at the line.
Longwood and High Point were meeting for the 22nd time in the sport since 1984-85, and the Panthers now lead the series, 16-6, including three-straight wins. The Lancers will host High Point in Farmville on February 22.
