FARMVILLE, Va. – Propelled by the momentum of a 14-game win streak, an unbeaten Big South record, and a 24-point win in the first meeting in early January, Winthrop stepped onto Longwood's home court as the on-paper favorite for another runaway victory.
 
But as the Eagles found out Saturday afternoon in Willett Hall, a lot can happen to a team in one month.
 
Revitalized Longwood (9-16, 4-8 Big South) flirted with an upset of the Big South's lone remaining undefeated team, but Duncan Burns Jr. and Charles Falden both scored 17 points to help the Eagles (18-11, 12-0 Big South) survive a buzzer-beater scare 70-68 and maintain a two-game lead atop the Big South standings.
 
Winners of three of their past four games entering the day, Longwood took Winthrop to the wire, overcoming a 13-point deficit to stake a 68-67 lead on freshman Heru Bligen's steal and fastbreak layup with 2:02 to play. However, Falden responded by hitting two free throws at 1:46, and the Eagles' top-tier Big South defense forced stops on Longwood's final five possessions to lock up the win and remain the league's only undefeated team in conference play this season.
 
"One of the biggest things if you look at this game compared to the team that played them in Rock Hill in early January," said Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich. "I don't think they're the same team. I think that's a huge positive that you can take away, that this team has really improved and is growing.
 
"I told the guys in the film room it's a credit to them, it's a credit to their character that they've continued to fight and continued to battle. As the Winthrop staff told us as we were shaking hands, I think we can play with anybody in this league."
 
The 6-9, 260-pound Tennessee transfer Burns led a strong performance in the post from Eagles, scoring 17 of Winthrop's 34 points in the paint while adding six rebounds and a block. He scored only three points after halftime, but Falden stepped up in his absence to pour in 11 of his 17 points in the second half, including five in the decisive final four minutes of play.
 
Their collective effort was enough to outpace a 24-point outburst from Longwood point guard Juan Munoz, who sparked Longwood's second-half comeback by scoring the Lancers' first 12 points out of the break. His three-pointer with 5:49 to play cut Winthrop's lead to three points before his former AAU teammate and newly minted 1,000-point scorer JaShaun Smith tied the game with a three-pointer at the 2:14 mark.
 
However, Bligen's go-ahead layup after Smith's trey would be the last field goal Longwood converted, as Winthrop forced a missed layup and a turnover in the final minute. Longwood's last shot at tying the game was stopped short as well, as Winthrop's defense clamped down to prevent senior Sean Flood from getting off a desperation three-pointer before the buzzer.
 
The win was Winthrop's 14th in a row, extending a streak that dates back beyond the start of Big South play to Dec. 17. Excluding a 99-95 triple-overtime win against Gardner-Webb on Jan. 11, Saturday's two-point win over the Lancers was Winthrop's smallest margin of victory within that entire 14-game tear.
 
"We want Longwood basketball to be about playing the right way, playing as hard as we can, and playing together," Aldrich said. "As we said to them in the pregame talk, we want guys getting back on their bus when they go home to say, 'Wow, didn't know those guys were going to play like that.' My bet is that's what Winthrop's saying tonight."
 
Winthrop led by as many as 13 points, entering halftime up 40-27 after closing the period on a 14-0 run over the final six minutes. However, Munoz sparked Longwood out of the locker room by scoring 12 consecutive points to whittle that advantage back to single digits. After trading points over the next seven minutes, the Lancers caught fire and opened up a 12-3 run that cut Winthop's lead to just one point, 63-62, with 4:07 to play.
 
JaShaun Smith tied the game with a three-pointer from the corner at 2:14, and Bligen picked the pocket of Winthrop forward Chandler Vaudrin on the next possession before turning it back up-court for a go-ahead fastbreak layup.
 
However, the Eagles locked in and held Longwood without a field goal the rest of the way, and Falden, Burns and Hunter Hale converted 4-of-6 free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
 
"This particular Winthrop team is one of the better mid-major teams I've faced in my career, if not the best," Aldrich said. "Credit to them. They made plays, and that's why they have a 14-game win streak. But you play against the best like this, and you have to play at such a high level. Going 14-for-23 from the free throw line, you're going to have to do some other things spectacularly in order to overcome that. I think we were just a play or two short."
 
The loss disrupts a stretch of three wins in four games for the Lancers, who have beaten reigning champion Gardner-Webb, Charleston Southern and High Point in that span. The Lancers will conclude their three-game homestand this Monday, Feb. 10, against Campbell, which will be their third game in the past five days.
 
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