FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood played tough. First-place UNC Asheville played tougher.
 
In a game of momentum swings and game-changing runs, All-Big South guard MaCio Teague scored 20 points and sparked a second-half rally that saw first-place UNC Asheville (17-9, 10-3 Big South) overcome a 14-point deficit to take down upset-minded Longwood 78-73 Wednesday evening in Willett Hall.
 
Teague led that charge, scoring 13 points in the final 15:09, during which the Bulldogs overcame a 52-38 deficit to snuff the Lancers (6-20, 3-10 Big South) and maintain sole possession of the top spot in the Big South standings.
 
The Big South's 10th-leading scorer, Teague hit three three-pointers during a 15-3 run that cut that 14-point Lancer lead to just two with 12:24 remaining. He hit four of his final six shots from the field, including the go-ahead layup  with 7:33 remaining that put UNC Asheville up for good.
 
"Teague, his ability to take over, especially in that stretch, was the difference in the game," said Longwood head coach Jayson Gee. "We lost him a couple times, and he just rose up and made some plays where on the other end we didn't."
 
Led by a career-high 19 points from Damarion Geter, Longwood stunned UNC Asheville by leading for nearly 18 consecutive minutes until Jonathan Baehre hit a go-ahead layup with 8:10 remaining. After JaShaun Smith responded with a layup of his own to reclaim the lead for the Lancers, Teague put the Bulldogs ahead for good 19 seconds later with his go-ahead layup.
 
Baehre and UNC Asheville point guard Raekwon Miller finished with 19 points apiece as UNC Asheville won its sixth straight game and ninth in the past 10 games. The Bulldogs shot 70.0 percent (14-of-20) from the field in the second half and 51.1 percent (24-of-47) for the game while also knocking down 9-of-20 three-pointers against Longwood's Big South-leading three-point defense.
 
"Great effort, and I thought we had a great gameplan," Gee said. "I'm really proud of our guys from an effort standpoint. We just didn't execute at the end."
 

Jordan Cintron's motor never stops. How about this sequence! Forces a jump ball diving for a loose ball and then he snakes through the lane for a game-tying layup! Longwood leads UNC Asheville 26-23 w/ 4:56 left in the first half. #GoWood pic.twitter.com/N431KVFBeb

— Longwood Men's BB (@LongwoodMBB) February 8, 2018

 
"I thought we could have done a better job from three, and there were key parts of the game where we missed key shots, shots we normally make. There were crucial possessions we faltered in, and they didn't. That was the difference."
 
Teague's late-game heroics overcame a career-best effort from Geter, who scored in double figures for the third straight game, hit a career-high 8-of-9 free throws and matched another career high with four blocks.
 
Geter was Longwood's go-to option down the stretch, scoring the Lancers' final six points, including a three-pointer with 1:01 remaining that cut UNC Asheville's lead to 76-73.
 
"The thing you love about him is he goes at it every game," Gee said of his fourth-year team captain Geter. "He does what he's capable of doing and deserves the success he's having. I think our guys are getting smarter and letting him handle the ball more, and that's been more productive for our offense."
 

Don't sleep on the captain, Damarion Geter. He has 4 blocks -- yes FOUR -- through one half. Almost five on this play! #GoWood pic.twitter.com/W1LDRoR1JH

— Longwood Men's BB (@LongwoodMBB) February 8, 2018

After Geter's banked-in three put the game back within one possession, the Lancers forced a shot-clock violation with 30 seconds remaining. They followed by creating two chances to tie the game on their final full possession, but Isaiah Walton's three-point attempt rimmed out, and Charles Glover's follow-up from B.K. Ashe's offensive rebound was off as well.
 
Those missed threes came from Longwood's two other double-digit scorers on the night, as both Glover and Walton finished with 11 points. Glover had hit 3-of-5 treys to that point in the game.
 
The loss signals the end of a two-game homestand for the Lancers, who now hit the road seeking a season sweep of high-scoring Campbell. Longwood knocked off the Fighting Camels and Big South Preseason Player of the Year Chris Clemons 76-62 in the first meeting of the year on Jan. 15 in Willett Hall.
 
#GoWood