ROCK HILL, S.C. – Jimmy Gavin scored 25 points, and Xavier Cooks added 20 as Winthrop pulled away late to down Longwood, 88-80, and snap the Lancers' two-game win streak Thursday evening at Winthrop Coliseum.
 
Gavin hit seven three-pointers and keyed Winthrop's 12-3 run over the final 3:19 that erased a 77-76 Longwood lead and pushed the second-place Eagles (17-7, 9-4 Big South) to their eighth win in the past nine games.
 
After Longwood guard Darrion Allen hit his career-high fifth three-pointer of the night to give the Lancers a one-point lead with 3:48 to play, Gavin responded with eight consecutive points to give Winthrop an 84-77 lead with under two minutes to go. The graduate transfer from Wisconsin-Parkside bookended a jumper with a pair of three-pointers during that stretch to give the Eagles their largest lead since Longwood cut the deficit to 53-52 with 14:58 to play.
 
Longwood point guard Tra'Vaughn White hit three free throws after being fouled on the perimeter to pull Longwood back to within 84-80, but Winthrop iced the game on four straight free throws from Keon Johnson and Xavier Cooks.
 
"I have to give credit to Winthrop's players," said Longwood head coach Jayson Gee, who had led Longwood to back-to-back wins entering Thursday's game. "They really stepped up and made some big-time shots. Gavin hit some big threes, and then [Bjorn] Broman hit some big-time threes in the second half that I thought were the difference in the game."
 
Gavin finished 9-of-19 from the field and 7-of-14 from beyond the arc, while Cooks netted a double-double with 12 boards. Broman, Zach Price and Joshua Davenport scored nine points apiece for the Big South's top scoring offense.
 
Longwood trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half, but a 10-0 run during a 3:28 near halftime allowed the Lancers to cut that deficit to 42-37 at the half. Winthrop extended that lead to seven less than four minutes into the second half, but Longwood opened an 11-2 run to take a 57-55 lead with 13:25 left.
 
From there, the game stayed within one possession until Gavin's eight-point run gave the Eagles the lead for good.
 
"You come a very, very good basketball team's home court, and you battled them to the end. So I don't prefer to take losses, but I'll take a setback," Gee said. "A setback is when you don't get what you want but you can learn and grow from it. We became a better basketball team today. We're becoming whole."
 
Longwood (8-18, 4-9 Big South) kept pace with Winthrop for all but that final 3:19, reaching 80 points for the third time in the past five games. All five Longwood starters scored in double figures, including Allen who hit all five three-pointers and scored 17 of his season-high 19 points after halftime.
 
"He's playing good basketball. Really good basketball," Gee said. "He's playing with confidence. He knows we believe in him, and he knows we need him to step up. I thought he got off to a slow start, and usually when that happens for him, it's a tough night, but to his credit he found a way to fight back. He gave us some very, very valuable minutes and some great play that enabled us to stay in that game."
 
Tra'Vaughn White added 16 points, Lotanna Nwogbo recorded his third straight double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Khris Lane and Kanayo Obi-Rapu combined for 27. Nwogbo's production came against a Winthrop frontcourt that included the NCAA's 10th-leading shot blocker Duby Okeke.
 
"I think Winthrop has the best tandem of big guys in the league, and it didn't seem to bother Lotanna at all," Gee said. "He missed a tough shot, and I know he wanted it in the lane and it would have been crucial for us, but he was very dominant. I love the way he's keeping his poise, his attitude, his leadership. … That's why we have optimism. When you have one of the best big guys and one of the best players in the league, you have a reason to be optimistic."
 
The loss snaps a two-game win streak for the Lancers, who are 4-5 in their past nine games, including 4-2 during that span with a healthy Shaquille Johnson in the lineup.
 
The Lancers' next test comes in a rivalry showdown against the hottest team in the Big South as Liberty visits Willett Hall Saturday at 2 p.m. Longwood and Liberty met on Jan. 19 this season in a game that came down to an overturned foul call at the buzzer that ultimately went in Liberty's favor. The Flames used that 55-53 victory as a springboard for their current six-game winning streak, but enter a venue Saturday where Longwood owns a 14-0 advantage in the series.


Said Gee, looking ahead to the matchup, "We're ready for a great game Saturday, playing in a great environment against a team that's probably the hottest team in the league."
 
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