RICHMOND, Ky. – Led by 17 points from Ryan Weber, Ball State outlasted a 21-point effort from Kanayo Obi-Rapu and a career-high 18 points from Khris Lane to take down Longwood, 78-67, on day two of the EKU Hoops Classic at McBrayer Arena.
 
Weber did the bulk of his damage at the free throw line, hitting 9-of-10 shots from the charity stripe to spearhead a balanced effort the Cardinals (2-2), who blew open a one-point game with 6:05 remaining. Weber scored 12 points as part of a 21-11 run over that final six minutes to turn a 57-56 lead into an 11-point win.
 
"When you're playing a solid basketball team from the Mid-American Conference, they have players," said Longwood head coach Jayson Gee. "I thought Ryan Webber was terrific in the second half, and their big guys eventually wore us down inside. Franko House really did a good job inside and scoring at the basket, and it was difficult to shut him down."
 
House and Webber were the lone double-digit scorers for a Ball State team that hit 24-of-28 free throws, including 11-of-12 during that game-clinching run. The mass of free throws was a product of foul trouble for the Lancers (2-2), who saw two players – including starting center Lotanna Nwogbo – foul out and two other starters hobbled by four fouls apiece. Ball State took advantage of those trips to the line in the second half, hitting 18-of-21 foul shots after the break.
 
That efficiency from the line was enough to help the Cardinals overcome the third 20-point game of the season from Obi-Rapu, who nearly engineered Longwood's comeback with 17 second-half points. The Lancer junior hit four three-pointers and added another three-point play in the second half, either putting Longwood ahead or within one score of tying the game with three of his six buckets after the break.
 
But while Obi-Rapu came up repeatedly in the clutch, Lane added 11 second-half points and freshman Chris Shields turned in his most productive game as a Lancer with a career-high nine points and eight rebounds, Ball State held the rest of Longwood's lineup to 5-of-26 shooting from the field.
 
"Kanayo stepped up, Khris Lane stepped up and they did a nice job," Gee said. "I thought Chris Shields had his best game as a Lancer, and if we can get that kind of production from him throughout the course of the season, we're going to be in good shape. But we got beat on the boards way too much. That inability to get over that hump in the second half when you've fought back to get to where we wanted to be is discouraging. At the same time, we have another opportunity tomorrow."
 
Longwood's last chance to come away from the three-day invitational with a win will come Sunday at 2 p.m. against host Eastern Kentucky (3-1). The Colonels are eying a home sweep after already taking down S.C. State, 92-82, and Ball State, 89-81.
 
"This team is resilient, and they'll be in front of a crowd playing the home team, and we hope that will help," Gee said. "But these guys have no quit in them. They understand this is a journey, they know they're a shell of themselves right now and they're obviously disappointed, but they're ready to come back and compete tomorrow."
 
Sunday's game will stream live on the OVC Digital Network and WVHL Kickin' Country 92.9 FM in Farmville, Va., or www.WVHL.net.
 
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