LYNCHBURG, Va. – Just minutes after the opening tip Friday against Liberty, Longwood guard
Isaiah Walton found himself in an unfortunate, but familiar spot.
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After picking up his second foul not even five minutes into the rivalry showdown at the Vines Center, Longwood's dynamic guard was left sitting on the bench, relegated to a spot where he spent the entirety of five games nursing injuries earlier in the season.
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Unfortunately for Liberty (12-6, 3-2 Big South), unlike those previous games where Walton was a casual, hobbled, observer in street clothes, Longwood's leading scorer came back in the second half.
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After sitting the final 15:24 of the first half, Walton erupted for 22 points, including 20 after halftime, to ignite a comeback performance that saw the Lancers (5-13, 2-3 Big South) overcome a 12-point deficit and stun Big South contender Liberty 58-51 on the road.
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Walton finished 6-of-13 from the floor, hit two three-pointers and knocked down all eight of his free throws en route to his team-leading fifth 20-point game of the season. His biggest shot came with 1:01 on the clock when he took a pass from
Charles Glover in the corner and knocked down a go-ahead three that put the Lancers ahead 53-51.
"It felt great. It was electric," Walton said of his game-winner. "I have to give credit to Chuck for finding me because if he didn't see me, there wouldn't have been a three. It was a great feeling. That's all I can really say."
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That trey was part of a game-ending 14-0 run from the Lancers, who held Liberty scoreless over the game's final three minutes. Glover, who initiated that game-winning sequence by ripping the ball away from Liberty big man Scottie James under Longwood's basket, followed with a highlight of his own 48 seconds later when he knocked down a dagger of a three-pointer to extend Longwood's lead to 56-51 and lock up the win.
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"Before the game tonight, we said our key to winning was ball movement," Walton said. "We knew they were a pack line defensive team, and we had to move the ball to get their defense shifting so we could attack the basket. That really worked out, so I have to give a nod to our coaches for preparing us to get the win."
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The victory was Longwood's second in the past three games and came against a Liberty (12-6, 3-2 Big South) team that entered the night holding opponents to the sixth-lowest scoring average in the nation. The Flames had won three straight and were coming off a 73-70 win over Big South powerhouse Winthrop, but the Lancers matched their defensive intensity and held them to .388 (19-of-49) shooting from the floor and .222 (4-of-18) from three-point range.
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Longwood also won the rebounding battle 34-25, outrebounding by nine a team that leads the Big South with a +7.1 rebounding margin.
Damarion Geter had eight of those boards, including seven in the second half, and combined with fellow big men
Jahleem Montague and
Spencer Franklin to haul in a combined 23 for the game.
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Like Walton, Geter, Franklin and Montague all missed multiple games this season with injuries, as did Glover. However, that group is now healthy, giving Longwood its full roster over the past four games. The result has seen the Lancers play their best basketball in the past three games, knocking off Gardner-Webb 79-73, hanging with Big South preseason favorite UNC Asheville  in a 90-80 road loss, and then stunning the Flames Friday.
"I just think our team is really becoming whole," said Longwood head coach
Jayson Gee, whose win Friday was the 200th of his 12 years as a head coach. "No excuses for the preseason, no excuses for the Charleston Southern game, no excuses. But the reality is our team is healthy now, and they're playing together, and we're getting better."
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Even without a point guard, the Lancers committed just 15 turnovers against the Flames Friday. Glover and
B.K. Ashe shared duties at the point and combined for eight assists, 14 points and just five turnovers, along with a combined 6-of-6 shooting from the free throw line. Ashe played all 40 minutes and saw three of his four assists result in three-pointers, including Glover's dagger in the closing seconds.
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"It shows how far we've come," Walton said of Longwood's recent hot streak. "We've gone through as much adversity as you can think of, and to have wins like this it shows why every day coach Gee shows faith. It shows we're just moving forward."
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Now winners of two of their past three games, the Lancers return home Monday for a matchup against another surging Big South squad in Campbell. Winners of three straight, including a 65-64 buzzer-beating win over High Point Friday, the Fighting Camels and Big South Player of the Year Chris Clemons will tip off on Longwood's home court at 7 p.m. on the Big South Network.
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