PITTSBURGH, Pa. – If anyone was curious, toughness is still embedded deep within the core of Longwood men's basketball.
 
On the road against an ACC foe, Longwood (1-1) gave Pittsburgh everything it could handle in an even fight. The Lancers simply refused to go away regardless of how many times Pitt (2-0) tried to deliver the haymaker.
 
Instead, much as they have over the past seven years, Longwood punched right back before the Panthers managed to pull away in the final four minutes to win 78-60.

"Appreciative of Pittsburgh having us up. I thought it was a really good game," said Longwood Head Coach Ronnie Thomas. "We challenged our guys to play to the standard. It's never really about the scoreboard. For most of the night, we played to our standard and to that level, and then we had lapses. Early in the season, this is a great opportunity for us to learn that. We'll take that on the chin and be better from it. It was a great test for us."
 
Bruising forward Johan Nziemi set the tone for a physical Lancer side with 16 efficient points on the interior. Jacoi Hutchinson and Alphonzo Billups III both broke double figures on the perimeter, with Hutchinson booking 13 points while Billups added 11.
 
However, the duo of Brandin Cummings and Damarco Minor combined to go 9-15 from three while scoring 42 combined points to fend off the feisty, physical Lancers. The two hit nine of the 12 Pitt triples on the night.

"Pittsburgh was averaging 85 points per game through three games coming in, and only 15 of them were coming from three," Thomas said after Pitt hit 12 threes as a team. "It was a big challenge to make them make those shots...Minor is right under a 30 percent career three-point shooter, and he makes 4-7 tonight...Cummings had only shot about six threes out of 30 attempts on the year. We made those guys do some things they hadn't been doing through the first three games. And credit those guys. They made shots, and timely ones. When we had some runs, they really made some timely threes."
 
Defense ruled the opening minutes of the game, and Longwood led 9-7 after a pair of Jaylin Payne free throws with 13:36 to go in the first half.
 
While Pitt reeled off an 11-4 run, Longwood's defense keyed the offense to claw back into the game and tie the score at 18-18 with 7:03 to go in the half.
 
Pitt again pulled away late in the half, but the Lancers scored the final five points of the first half—and the first five points of the second—to again even the score. After a Minor triple, Nziemi answered with back-to-back buckets to give Longwood a 37-36 lead.

"Just holding up our standard, like coach preaches to us every day," said Hutchinson about the team's resilience and ability to keep fighting to get back into the game. "Just band together, especially when adversity hits. We banded together, focusing on our response and not the play that just happened, moving on, and how we can adjust. That's the biggest thing fo rus: banding together, and when adversity hits, we stick together."
 
However, Minor and Cummings both banged triples to give Pitt the lead. Longwood kept hanging around thanks to grit and gumption, but every time the Lancers got within two possessions, the potent guard duo for Pitt had the answer.
 
Now, Longwood sets its sights on a big-time matchup against James Madison on Wednesday, November 12. The matchup pits two of the top teams over the past four years in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with Longwood picked third in the Big South and JMU picked to finish first in the Sun Belt. The game tips off at 7 p.m., and it is a Stripe Out, sponsored by College Corners on High.
 
Tickets are going fast but still available at www.longwoodlancers.com/tickets. The game will air on ESPN+.
 
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