FARMVILLE, Va. – As a tight race for the Big South title heads for the finish line, Longwood is on the upswing – and carrying some powerful weapons into the final five games of the regular season.

Smothering defense. The best home-court advantage in the league. And a host of veterans like Isaiah Wilkins with the ability to get hot and carry the offense.

All three were on display Wednesday night in Willett Hall. Wilkins scored 15 points and Walyn Napper added 14 points and seven rebounds as the Lancers raced to a big early lead and beat Presbyterian 66-46.

It was the second straight win for Longwood (17-9, 9-4 Big South) and 14^th in its last 15 Big South home games dating back to the start of last season.

"I was really proud of the guys," Head Coach Griff Aldrich said. "I told them, you always want to be playing your best basketball in February and March. I think this team is playing a lot better than it has all season. We've been talking a lot about passion and purpose. Tonight we played with a lot of passion, and there was a lot of purpose. Extremely proud of our effort tonight."

Longwood barely escaped with a win when the two teams met last month in Clinton, S.C. – a game that demonstrated how evenly matched the Big South can be from top to bottom.

For most of Wednesday's rematch, the Lancers looked like they'd worked through a late-January mini-slump and are ready for the stretch run and the Big South Tournament.

Longwood gave up the first three points of the game but then went on a 12-0 tear and cruised from there, thrilling a Willet crowd that has given Longwood over the last two years as strong a home-court advantage as any program in Virginia or the Big South.

That could play a pivotal role in the coming weeks.  Longwood remains just behind UNC Asheville and Radford at the top of the Big South standings -- but plays those teams this month in the final two games at Willett Hall before the move next year to the new Joan Perry Brock Center. The Lancers return first to action Saturday on the road at High Point.

On Wednesday, Longwood looked sharp on offense, with no turnovers before halftime, and on defense held the Blue Hose (5-21, 1-11) to 9 of 28 from the floor just 1-of-7 on 3-pointers before intermission.

Aldrich could have lived without the Lancers letting an opponent creep back into contention in the second half for the second straight game – but loved what he saw with defense leading to offense before halftime, and again in the closing minutes as they built back their lead.

"Walyn was phenomenal in the open court, really attacking," he said. "He did a beautiful job. Our entire transition offense was really good tonight in the first half."

Longwood's lead drifted as low as 13 midway through the second half, but a Napper 3- pointer with 7:05 left, followed by another a minute later by DeShaun Wade, steadied the ship, and the Blue Hose never got closer.

Longwood got a scare late in the first half when junior DA Houston had to leave the game and head to the locker room. But his return to the floor early in the second half brought the fans to their feet, and he finished with 9 points – including a gutsy driving bucket while fouled with 3:32 left that felt like the final nail in the coffin for Presbyterian.

The win guarantees Longwood's fourth-straight season finishing .500 or better in the Big South – a mark they'd never approached before Aldrich's arrival in 2018.

Aldrich gave his share of credit to Wade, who added 7 points – but the Lancers were plus-21 when their senior captain was on the floor.

"DeShaun has been our spiritual leader for three years," Aldrich said. "I can't say enough about that young man. For Lancer fans who have been around a long and seen the resurgence of this program, there are some guys who really are responsible for laying the bricks in the foundation. DeShaun is chief among them."

The Lancers head to High Point on Saturday. Tip time was moved to 7 p.m., and the game will be aired on ESPN+ and on the radio on WVHL 92.9 Kickin' Country.

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