FARMVILLE, Va. – Just nine days removed from a heartbreaking 89-88 loss to Gardner-Webb in overtime, Longwood found itself in a similar position Saturday against USC Upstate.
 
This time the Lancers made sure the story had a different ending.
 
Playing extra basketball for a second straight home game, Longwood (15-13, 5-8 Big South) rode 19 points from junior JaShaun Smith and pulled away from USC Upstate in overtime for an 83-79 win Saturday evening in Willett Hall.
 
The win is Longwood's second straight since that one-point loss on Feb. 7 and continued a storybook run that has now seen head coach Griff Aldrich's first Lancer team match the program's total for most Big South wins, amass a 9-4 record in Willett Hall, and record the second-most victories in the program's 15-year Division I era.
 
The most recent chapter in that turnaround story took place in front of Longwood basketball alumni from all five decades of the program's history, who returned to campus for an alumni day celebration. That group witnessed another high-scoring game from breakout scorer JaShaun Smith, 16 points from Shabooty Phillips, and a redemptive overtime performance after USC Upstate (6-22, 1-12 Big South) rallied to erase an 11-point deficit in the final 3:13 of regulation.
 
"The reality is the guys made the plays they needed to make in order to win the game," said Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich.
 
"That's a big step forward for this program, I don't care who you're playing. In athletics, and pretty much anywhere in life, your execution starts with your mental outlook. They did what they needed to do. They stayed positive and came out of here with a win."
 
USC Upstate's comeback 13-2 run at the end of regulation sent the game to overtime, but the extra period belonged to Longwood thanks to a blend of staunch defense, timely makes and clutch free throw shooting.
 
"For a program where we are, you have to fight that 'Uh oh, here it comes again' mentality," Aldrich said. "That's not who we are. We have 15 wins. This is a team that should have confidence. They've beaten really good teams throughout the season. They've played teams at the top of the conference and either played them really tight or beaten them."
 
"Late in the game, I think it was JaShaun who was still frustrated that we were still even in this spot. He was right to be, but you have to move on. We were there. You can't go back and figure out how to change it; you're there, so you have to figure it out and fight."
 
Longwood did just that, recovering from USC Upstate's momentum-stealing run to take the lead for good on Jaylon Wilson's go-ahead layup with 2:49 remaining. Sixth-year senior Damarion Geter then drew a charge on USC Upstate's next possession to reclaim the ball for the Lancers with a one-point lead.
 
Sean Flood then found JaShaun Smith for a layup to extend the lead to three and, after USC Upstate guard Jure Span hit two free throws, Longwood forced stops on USC Upstate's next two possessions.
 
Geter and Wilson then knocked down one of their two free throws on Longwood's next two possessions, but Spartans guard Pat Welch trimmed Longwood's lead back to two with a long three-pointer with 18 seconds left. USC Upstate was forced to foul Phillips seconds later, sending the Big South's leading free throw shooter to the line where he knocked down both shots.
 
That final four-point lead stood after Dalvin White's three-pointer missed, and Pat Welch's follow-up after an offensive rebound rimmed out at the buzzer.
 
"We had a couple mental lapses, but we pushed through on defense," Smith said. "We kept fighting, kept fighting as a team even though we had some mishaps. I feel like our focus on defense allowed us to win this game."
 
Longwood won the rebounding battle 40-30, thanks to seven boards from Phillips and six from Spencer Franklin, four of which were on the offensive glass. That margin helped the Lancers overcome five USC Upstate double-digit scorers, including Span who scored 23 points and dished nine assists off the bench.
 
Franklin's last offensive board was Longwood's biggest of the night, coming with just 31 seconds left on a missed three-pointer by Phillips. Franklin put it back up for two points to give Longwood a brief 69-67 lead and eventually the bucket that allowed Longwood to survive into overtime.
 
"Frankly, it means a little bit more [to Geter and Franklin]," Aldrich said of his two seniors. "Damarion and Spen, they've got three conference games left. They're giving us everything they've got. I'm really proud of their effort and the commitment not only to the program, but to the university. They're trying to build a new foundation for this program. I know they both feel a sense of responsibility to do right for what they've been given by the university, and that's special. There's not many young guys around who appreciate that and understand that, so I'm really proud of those guys."
 
Now down to their final three games of the regular season before the start of the Big South Conference Championship tournament on March 5-10, Longwood will head to Hampton next Thursday, Feb. 21, to face the Pirates at 7 p.m. Prior to that road matchup, Longwood will host alumni and friends for a pregame social beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Sly Clyde Ciderworks, just over a mile from Hampton's home arena.
 
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