BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.— If there were any question why the Big South is ranked one of the top mid-major conferences in the country, look no further than Longwood vs. Gardner-Webb.
 
Both teams were picked to finish near the top of the league in preseason polling, both lineups are packed with runners and gunners, both have deadly outside shooters who can make opponents pay for defensive lapses.
 
On a back-and-forth Wednesday night in North Carolina, where the Lancers (16-7, 5-3 Big South) and Runnin' Bulldogs (9-12, 4-4 Big South) traded leads or tied 21 times in the second half, it was Gardner-Webb who was ahead when the buzzer sounded, beating Longwood 92-87.
 
For a team that shot 51 percent from the floor, and 50 percent from behind the arc, the free ones just wouldn't fall for Longwood, who made just nine of 21 shots from the charity stripe. Not even point guard Kyrell Luc's career night (25 points, 6 assists) could overcome the free-throw woes.
 
In the first half, every time Longwood seemed poised to pull away and extend a ten-point lead into unreachable territory, Gardner-Webb seemingly had an answer, usually off the hands of leading scorer Anthony Selden, who poured in 27 points. The Bulldogs built a head of steam in the second half, and rode it to a close conference win.
 
Guard-forward Michael Christmas added 19 points for the Lancers, forward Johan Nziemi scored 13, and Colby Garland had 12—many of them coming as the Lancers scrambled to pull even with the Bulldogs in the closing minutes. Forward Elijah Tucker pulled down double-digit rebounds for the second-straight game.
 
The Lancers continue their two-game road trip with a game against Charleston Southern this Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
#GoWood #HorsePower