FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood and Maryland Eastern Shore delivered an instant classic on Tuesday night at the Joan Perry Brock Center. Unfortunately for Longwood (3-2) a comeback effort came up short against UMES (2-4) in double overtime.
 
The Lancers erased a double-digit deficit, but Dorion Staples hit his only shot of the game with 56 seconds left in double overtime to give UMES the lead for good in an 83-82 win.
 
Jacoi Hutchinson helped key Longwood's charge back into the game with a career high 21 points while going 10-10 at the free throw line. He was one of five Lancers in double figures, the third straight game Longwood has had five players with at least 10 points. Johan Nziemi added 17 points, Elijah Tucker had 12 points, and Elijah Jones and Alphonzo Billups III chipped in 10 apiece.
 
However, that was offset by huge nights from Justin Monden, Jaden Cooper and Zion Obanla. Monden had a team-best 19 points while chipping in five steals, and Cooper tied a career high with five threes en route to 17 points. Obanla came up with 15 points, with most of his damage coming after halftime.

"Credit to UMES. They've had a brutal schedule," said Longwood Head Coach Ronnie Thomas. "They've played four Power 4 teams. I felt it. I knew they would come in here hungry, thinking they could get one. Coach had them playing really hard. They came in and punched us in the mouth. I thought the zone stagnated us for a little bit before we started having some success to get them out of it. And then, as it became a close game, it came down to execution and discipline. Our discipline isn't where it should have been. That falls on me. I have to put the guys, whether it was when they went zone or to man or in the flow of the game, I have to put them in better positions to be successful. We'll watch the film, and we'll help them grow and learn how they can make better decisions, but as a staff, we have to help put them in better positions."
 
The Hawks punched first and didn't miss much in the opening half. Cooper canned three triples, and Monden had eight points and four steals as the visitors opened up a 15-point lead with seven minutes to play in the first half.
 
Longwood responded though. Alphonzo Billups III jumpstarted a run that got Longwood right back into the game. He scored all 10 of his points in the first half while sinking a pair of triples. The Lancers managed to cut the deficit to six at the break, 41-35.

"The biggest takeaway is that we gave up 17 offensive rebounds and had 19 turnovers," Thomas said. "The biggest thing is that we try to pride ourselves in those two areas. That's two of our three philosophies as a team: rebounding and sharing the basketball and valuing the basketball. We've got to clean that up. The reason why those are so important for us and in our top three is because if we do those things, we will be in a great position to win. I think that was the biggest thing, is to understand how important that is and what that means to the success of win."
 
In the second half, Hutchinson repeatedly attacked the basket and helped Longwood slowly creep back into the game. He scored 15 of his 21 points after halftime and a pair of assists.
 
Hutchinson found Elijah Tucker, who had eight of his 12 points in the second half, for a layup with 9:06 to go to give Longwood a 54-53 lead, and Hutchinson hit a jumper one possession later for Longwood's largest lead of the game, 56-53.
 
However, UMES had an answer, and the two sides proceeded to trade haymakers down the stretch.
 
The game stayed within three points for the rest of the way in regulation, and the two teams were tied at 69 going into overtime.
 
In the first overtime, Hutchinson scored four of Longwood's six points as the Lancers battled back from 74-69 hole to tie the game at 75 apiece.
 
UMES managed to take the lead again in the second overtime, and the Hawks made it stick this time thanks to the three from Staples.
 
Longwood hits the road for four straight games, beginning with a trip to Columbia on Sunday, November 23.

"I'm really excited about that, especially after tonight's result," said Thomas. "It's a chance for us to get back to us. We talk a lot about, 'Hey, it's the 29 of us in the room' and doing it for each other. I thought guys sacrificed in trying to come back tonight, but I think it will be a good time to get away, be together, reconnect and really be able to lock in to the standard."

Tip is set for 2 p.m., and the game will air on ESPN+.
 
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