FARMVILLE, Va. – All good things come to an end, but while Hampton snapped the Lancers' five-game win streak Wednesday night, Longwood's record-breaking season rolls on.
 
Behind 20 points from Big South scoring leader Davion Warren, the Pirates (10-13, 9-9 Big South) dealt the Lancers their first home loss in more than a month with a 74-68 takedown in Willett Hall.
 
The defeat snaps a five-game Big South winning streak and six-game home tear for the Lancers (11-15, 10-10 Big South), whose school-record 10 Big South wins secure them the No. 5 seed in the Big South Championship, a bye through the tournament's first round, and a quarterfinal matchup at No. 4 seed UNC Asheville Monday at 7 p.m.
 
The Pirates (10-13, 9-9 Big South) became only the second team since Jan. 19 to beat the surging Lancers, who end the regular season with eight wins in their final 10 games. Meanwhile, Hampton a three-game skid to finish at .500 in league play and split the regular-season series after Longwood took the first meeting 83-73 on Feb. 15.
 
"I thought our activity level was not what Longwood basketball has been over the past month," said Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich, whose Lancers broke the program record for Big South wins for a second straight year five days prior with a 64-58 win at Charleston Southern.
 
"We let [Hampton] rhythmically run their offense, and they're good players. Credit them because they made shots, but we weren't aggressive with them at all. It was just, we're in front of you but if you're just going to raise up and shoot, we'll let you shoot and hope you miss. That's not how we play.
 
Warren was the key in Wednesday's rematch between the Commonwealth rivals, securing the Big South's regular-season scoring title with his conference-leading 17th 20-point game of the season. He did the bulk of his damage early with 15 first-half points and finished with eight rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals before fouling out with 45 seconds to play.
 
The rest of the Pirate lineup carried the game in the final minute following Warren's departure, fighting off a late Lancer rally that saw a three-point play from junior guard DeShaun Wade trim Hampton's lead to 69-66. Warren's fifth foul came against Wade on that play, but after Wade converted a free throw for his team-leading 15th point of the night, Hampton point guard Russell Dean responded with a three-point play of his own on the other end of the floor.
 
Nate Lliteras hit a long, desperation two-point jumper from just inside the arc in the closing seconds to cut the final deficit to six points, but Dean's three-point play and two free throws from Chris Shelton were enough to preserve Hampton's win.
 
"Tonight we saw what we saw in December," said Aldrich, referencing the first half of the season in which the Lancers entered 2021 with a 2-8 record before turning the tide shortly after the start of conference play.
 
"We had a great stretch in the second half where we're really defending, and we're right there at the end of the game and then we give up probably four or five offensive rebounds, and that's the ballgame. Fundamental, basic defensive principles where we just completely lost our composure. Then we'd make them miss, we wouldn't block out, and there are four blue jerseys there. If one of them didn't get the rebound, another one was."

Warren's 20, and accompanying double-digit performances from Chris Shelton and Raymond Bethea, were enough to overcome the 15th point from Wade and a near double-double from Longwood sophomore guard Heru Bligen, who finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Lancers had four double-digit scorers for the third time in the past four games, adding 13 points from Juan Munoz on his senior night and 10 from Zac Watson off the bench.
 
However, after overcoming a lead as large as 11 points in the second half, Longwood's second-half rally fell short after the Pirates solved the Lancers' Big South-leading defense and scored on five of their final seven possessions.
 
"For Longwood to be successful, we have to compete on every single possession," Aldrich said. "We can't take possessions off, we can't hope somebody gets the rebound. We have to battle on every single possession. And when we do that, we're in good shape.
 
"The lesson to be learned is we have to go back to the basics. Nothing's changed – we're still a very good team, a team that's earned a bye. This one game does not tarnish what this team has done. It's a team that has really fought and battled to get where they are, to earn a bye, to earn the fifth seed. There's a lot to be proud of, especially when you think of where things have been for Longwood basketball. This is a record for these guys, but we also can't lose sight of what's gotten us there. Tonight we lost sight of it."
 
Those record 10 Big South wins earn the Lancers the No. 5 seed in the Big South Championship and a bye through the league tournament's first round. They will face No. 4 seed UNC Asheville Monday in Asheville, N.C., and would move on to a semifinal date with the winner of a quarterfinal matchup that pits No. 1 seed Winthrop against the winner of Saturday's first-round showdown between No. 8 seed High Point and No. 9 seed USC Upstate.
 
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