WASHINGTON, D.C. – Redd Thompson, Jr. and
Jacoi Hutchinson led Longwood men's basketball to open the Capital Thanksgiving Classic at American University today, but a second-half Siena surge keyed the Saints (5-2) past the Lancers (3-4) 70-63.
In the first game of the Capital Thanksgiving Classic at American University, Thompson put home 15 points with an efficient day from the floor, and the sophomore transfer also snared seven boards while dishing out four assists. Hutchinson matched him with 15 points for his seventh straight game in double figures.
The Lancers also owned the boards, using 11 offensive rebounds to score 13 second-chance points to help hang around in the game despite a tough-shooting afternoon.
However, Siena's defense forced 19 Lancer turnovers, leading to 27 points the other direction. Brendan Coyle hit four of his team's first six triples en route to a game-high 23 points, and Justice Shoats (15 points), Gavin Doty (11 points) and Francis Folefac (10 points) all scored in double figures.
"We are not playing team basketball right now," said Longwood head coach
Ronnie Thomas. "We have to get back to sharing the basketball and playing for each other."
The first half featured plenty of defense. Siena staked itself to an early, but Longwood's defense helped turn the tide.
Five different players scored in a five-minute span as Longwood went on a 13-3 run to take a 19-11 lead with 7:58 to go in the first half.
Siena then responded in kind with a 9-2 run that narrowed the Lancer lead to one.
Over the final three minutes of the first half, the two sides traded blows as both offenses combined to go 7-9 from the floor.
After halftime, Siena stayed hot. Both teams traded baskets early, with Thompson's triple cutting a Siena lead to 37-35 with 14:28 to play.
The Saints took off thereafter. Doty sank a pair of free throws to jump-start a 7-0 run that turned into 17-6 spurt and a 54-41 lead with 8:13 to go in the contest. Coyle did the bulk of the damage, hitting a pair of threes as part of his eight points in the stretch.
"We played well together to start the game, but when Siena came back, we lost focus on the team," Thomas said. "In the tough moments, we have to stay focused on playing with and through each other to have the most success."
Jacoi Hutchinson and
Elijah Kelly sank two foul shots apiece on back-to-back possessions to stem the tide, and
Alphonzo Billups III cut the lead to six with 6:07 to go off a triple.
Siena stabilized the game as Coyle, Shoats, and Doty all scored. The Lancers kept battling to get back into the game, but Longwood never pulled close than five the rest of the way.
The Lancers are immediately back in action against Maine tomorrow for the second day of the Capital Thanksgiving Classic, hosted by American University. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
#GoWood #HorsePower
