FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood's lockdown defense continues to reach new heights. Or rather, new lows. 

The latest suffocating defensive effort by the Big South's leading defense featured one of the conference's most stifling performances this season, as Longwood shut down Presbyterian 49-45 to extend its winning streak to three games Friday evening at the Templeton Center.
 
The win was the fourth in the past six games for the red-hot Lancers (6-13, 5-8 Big South), who have ridden the Big South's top scoring defense to a New Year's surge. The Lancers forced Presbyterian into more turnovers than they allowed field goals, surrendered the fewest points in a single game of any Big South team this season, and lowered their league-leading scoring defense to 63.7 points per game in conference play.
 
"Phenomenal," Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich said of the defensive performance. "That first half was just textbook. We caused 14 turnovers in the first half, and honestly, we just played solid defense. It's not that we're out there trying to steal the ball, gamble and try to make hero plays – we were just in the right spot. That was tremendous."
 
Presbyterian (4-9, 2-7 Big South) got 19 points from Big South freshman scoring leader Rayshon Harrison, but gave the ball away 21 times against an impermeable Lancer defense that recorded double-digit steals for the second time in the past four games. That led to Presbyterian putting just 15 points on the board by halftime, which was the lowest scoring half by a Longwood opponent since Charlotte scored 15 in the first half of Aldrich's fifth game as Longwood's head coach on Nov. 19, 2018.
 
Longwood junior guard DeShaun Wade had four of those takeaways as part of a gritty 13-point effort that he punctuated by shaking off an inadvertent blow to the face from Presbyterian guard Winston Hill and sinking two free throws with 30 seconds remaining. Those two points halted a comeback run from the Blue Hose, who trimmed a 10-point lead to one with 1:05 to play when J.C. Younger hit a three-pointer that pulled Presbyterian to within 46-45.
 
However, Wade, who was fouled when Hill delivered a hand to his face while attempting to swat away a loose ball, hit both free throws with 30 seconds left to push Longwood's lead back to three. Harrison missed a long jumper near the top of the key on the next possession, and his follow-up three-pointer at the buzzer 15 seconds later also came up short.
 
"This is a huge win for us," Aldrich said. "The number of times Longwood basketball has won five conference games are few and far between. We've won five games in 13 outings, and to do it on the road in conference is a big deal. And to find a way to win, to finish a game when you can't make free throws, when your shots aren't falling. At the end of the game, it felt like anything [Presbyterian] threw up went in, but we made plays to win. When they did miss, we came up with the rebound there at the end. Those are huge plays."
 
Wade's backcourt mate Heru Bligen also contributed nine points, while junior forward Zac Watson turned in a strong defensive effort in the paint with six rebounds and a career-high three steals. Watson and freshman Jesper Granlund both chipped in seven points as well, while freshman guard Justin Hill dished a team-high four assists.
 
The win gives Longwood at least five Big South wins for a third straight year, the program's longest such streak since joining the conference in 2012-13. Longwood had hit the five-win benchmark in conference play just twice before Aldrich took over in 2018-19 but has since amassed 19 conference wins in his three seasons.
 
"When I think about the development of this program and the development of this team, this is a game we lose in December, maybe even a couple weeks ago in January," Aldrich said. "But to the guys' credit, they're growing and understanding 'Ok, let's get back to execution, making the simple play.' To their credit, it paid off."
 
The win gives Longwood a shot at a second straight Big South sweep with a looming rematch against Presbyterian coming up Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
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