FARMVILLE, Va. – A flurry of first half threes and plenty of Longwood hustle thrilled a sold-out Joan Perry Brock Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
The result? A 90-82 win over Binghamton to cap a full week of wins for the Lancers (3-1).
 
Emanuel Richards led the Longwood charge, pouring in a career high 22 points to the excitement of Lancer faithful. He kept taking, and making, threes in teh first half, with each one bringing the sold-out crowd to its feet.
 
He wasn't alone though.
 
Five guys scored in double figures for a second straight game as part of Longwood's team-first basketball brand that has won the team two Big South Championships in the previous four seasons.

"These guys, the best thing about them, they're all about each other," said Longwood Head Coach Ronnie Thomas. "They trust each other. They are pouring in to each other. They're excited about this. We won. It's great to learn from a win instead of a loss. I'll do that every single day of the week."
 
That was enough to overcome a furious comeback effort from a feisty Binghamton (1-4) side that refused to go away. Demetrius Lilley led the visitors with 25 points and 12 rebounds.
 
"Credit Binghamton. I thought they were really tough," Thomas said. "They crushed us on teh glass. That's something we pride ourselves on. They punched us in the mouth there. I credit Binghamton and how they played, and we have to understand, it's not just going to be given to us. I think we learned that and learned that people are going to come in here and try to battle with us."

The Lancers roared out to an early double-digit lead behind Richards' three-point eruption in the first half. He drained four threes, a career high, en route to 14 first-half points, and the Lancers pounced on the Bearcats to take a 52-30 lead at the break.

The offense was humming, with 12 assists on 17 made shots to help the team shoot better than 50 percent from the floor. Redd Thompson, Jr. had 10 of his 11 points to join Richards in double figures.

"I thought we shared the ball pretty well and played defense," Richards said. "In the first half, we kept them out of the paint, and in the second half not as much, but we stayed together and fought through it to the end."
 
After halftime, Jeremiah Quigley led Binghamton back into the game, scoring 12 points and adding seven assists to help whittle a 22-point lead to single digits in the waning minutes of the game.

"I was just talking to the staff. This was the first time we've played with this sort of a lead in the first half," Thomas said about the learning opportunities. "We talked to the guys, it's not about the result. It's about, how did we play to our standard in the second half and getting back to that. If you get caught up in the scoreboard, it's hard to keep that focus. Our focus has to be on that standard. If we do that, I think we'll be better when we get in that position."
 
However, the Lancers had enough to answer the volleys and finish it off. Jacoi Hutchinson, who had 12 points and five assists, sank clutch free throws. Elijah Tucker and Jaylen Benard also pitched in 11 points.
 
The Lancers wrap up a three-game homestand on Tuesday when they host Maryland Eastern Shore at 7 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+.
 
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