FARMVILLE, Va. – In a showdown of two of the Big South's top big men, Presbyterian forward Ed Drew poured in 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds to power the Blue Hose past Longwood 71-62 Saturday evening in the Templeton Center.
 
Drew did the bulk of his damage from the free throw line, hitting 9-of-13 shots from the charity stripe en route to his first 20-point game of the season as Presbyterian (5-16, 1-9 Big South) avenged the Lancers' 79-76 win in the first meeting between the teams on Jan. 4. His performance was enough to overcome a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double from his foil in the paint, Khris Lane, who played all 40 minutes for short-handed Longwood (6-15, 3-7 Big South).
 
Drew scored 11 of his points in the second half to hold off a late charge by the Lancers, who trailed by just two points with 9:51 to play. Drew broke the game open with a jumper that sparked a 7-0 rally that gave the Blue Hose a multi-possession lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way.
 
"We were able to sustain some runs and fight back in it. We just didn't have enough at the very end," said Longwood head coach Jayson Gee. "
 
Longwood's injury-ravaged lineup was further hampered by foul trouble Saturday as starters Chris Shields and Isaiah Walton both picked up their third fouls fewer than five minutes into the second half. Senior starter Isaac Belton nabbed his fourth at the three-minute mark with Longwood trailing 61-53 and fouled out with just under two minutes left on the clock with Longwood trailing by 10.
 
That foul trouble put Presbyterian in the bonus with 2:56 remaining, allowing the Blue Hose to mount an 11-9 run solely from the charity stripe to the final buzzer. Drew hit the first three of those, ending his scoring on a night when Presbyterian racked up their most free throw attempts against a Division I opponent this season.
 
"[Drew] was solid and, unfortunately, he forced us to foul him," Gee said. "When he got to the free throw line, he capitalized. We were in mismatch situations, he got big on small, and our small guys, when we got in early foul trouble, weren't able to put the level of resistance on him they needed to. To [Drew's] credit, he finished those opportunities."
 
Drew and Lane did battle in the paint for almost the entire matchup with those two combining for more than one-quarter of the game's points and rebounds. Lane's 16 points came on 7-of-9 shooting and marked his 11th consecutive double-figure scoring game, but Presbyterian complemented Drew's production with 19 points from Reggie Dillard and another 15 from Jo'Vontae Millner.
 
Longwood, meanwhile, got 13 points from senior guard Darrion Allen and 12 from Shields, but could not overcome Presbyterian's 21-9 edge on points from the free throw line.
 
"Chris Shields, this was by far his best game," Gee said. "Twelve points, seven rebounds; he was really a factor in the game. That's the way he's been practicing, which is why I put him in the starting lineup. He's been frustrated at his performance so far this season, and hats off to him for making a big jump today."
 
The Lancers return home this Wednesday, Feb. 1, to host High Point in search of a season sweep over the Panthers whom they took down 60-55 on New Year's Eve.
 
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