CHARLESTON, S.C. – Lotanna Nwogbo's last trip to CSU Fieldhouse ended with his right hand in bandages.
 
Suffering what he feared to be a serious thumb injury in the first half of that Jan. 10, 2015 matchup against Charleston Southern, Nwogbo was forced to watch from the bench as his Longwood teammates crumbled after his departure on the way to a 14-point loss.
 
The Longwood center's unceremonious exit that night marked the end of his junior campaign, the fluke injury ultimately ripping away the final 17 games of his first season at Longwood.
 
Saturday night, more than a year since his last visit to the Lowcountry, Nwogbo made his return to CSU Fieldhouse.
 
His thumb seems fine.
 
Behind 19 points, 13 rebounds and season-high four blocks, Nwogbo turned what was once a site of disappointment to one of triumph as the Lancers (8-17, 4-8 Big South) took down Charleston Southern 78-76 in double overtime for their second straight win.
 
"Lotanna was a man out there," said Longwood head coach Jayson Gee, who brought in the Tulane transfer as part of his first Longwood recruiting class three years ago. "I usually sub him, but I told him he can get a sub on the bus. He's not coming out of this game."
 
After playing just 14 minutes that woeful night in Charleston in 2015, Nwogbo lasted a season-high 45 and finished as one of four double-figure scorers for a Longwood team that improved to 2-0 in double-overtime games during Gee's tenure.
 
Tra'Vaughn White and Kanayo Obi-Rapu both scored 17 points for Longwood, while Darrion Allen added 14. White and Obi-Rapu both hit clutch baskets in the extra periods with Obi-Rapu converting a three-point play with 3:09 left in the second overtime and White sinking the game-winning free throws with 29 seconds left.
 
Nwogbo, meanwhile, logged his eighth double-double of the season and his third in the past four games. Fighting through a barrage of Charleston Southern (8-16, 4-9 Big South) double teams on nearly every touch, he hit 9-of-12 field goals and equally impacted the defensive end, carding all four of his blocks when the score was either tied or Longwood trailed by one possession.
 
"I got emotional talking about him, the impact he's made and how big this was to regain his two legs on this court," Gee said. "We came in at shootaround yesterday, and he went right to the spot where he hurt his thumb. That really changed our fortunes when that happened last year."
 
Longwood lost 10 of the next 13 games after Nwogbo's injury last season before regrouping in time to storm to the Big South semifinals, upsetting the top-seeded Buccaneers in the process. But just as the outcome of last season's visit to Charleston Southern's home court changed the trajectory of Longwood's season, so might this year's.
 
"I don't think we could have won this game earlier in the season," Nwogbo said. "We would have folded, at least by the first overtime, if we were even able to get to that point. We've gotten a lot better physically and mentally. We've gotten stronger, and that's what you saw tonight."
 
Longwood is now 4-4 over the past eight games and 4-1 with a healthy Shaquille Johnson during that span, with that lone loss coming 55-53 at Liberty. Johnson came off the bench Saturday to contribute nine points, seven rebounds, six assists and a career-high five steals in just his second game back since a three-game, injury-related absence. He grabbed five of those boards in overtime as Charleston Southern hit just 4-of-13 shots after regulation.
 
In a game that featured 12 lead changes, including two in overtime, Charleston Southern had two chances to take the lead after White's two free throws put the Lancers ahead 78-76 with under 30 seconds to play. Raemond Robinson's three-point attempt with 17 seconds left clanged off the rim to Obi-Rapu, whose pass downcourt to Johnson pulled him out of bounds for a turnover. Potter took the ball on Charleston Southern's final possession and let loose a long three-pointer in the face of defensive pressure from Allen, but the shot rimmed out at the buzzer.
 
Potter finished with a career-high 21 points for Charleston Southern, while Robinson added 17.
 
"I'm obviously extremely proud of our team," Gee said. "They fought through a lot of adversity. A lot of difficult things happened. Life's about adversity and difficult things happening, and I thought today was a great life lesson that no matter how many bad things happen, if you don't give in, you can find a way."
 
The Lancers face an even stiffer test this Thursday when they visit second-place Winthrop for a 7 p.m. rematch of the 82-68 Eagles victory on Jan. 24.

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