BALTIMORE, Md. – A handful of key stops, contributions up and down the roster and four players in double figures, keyed Longwood men's basketball to its first true road win of the season.
 
The Lancers (6-5) topped Morgan State 84-80 thanks to a gritty effort that saw the defense make multiple critical stops in the waning minutes at Hill Field House tonight.
 
The offense was powered by a season-high 44 free throw attempts, as four Lancers finished in double figures. Longwood shot 32 free throws in the second half alone, and both Johan Nziemi and Jacoi Hutchinson hit critical foul shots to ice the game late. The Lancer offense also shared the ball well, piling up 17 assists on 24 made shots.
 
Nziemi and Hutchinson tied for the team lead with 15 points apiece. Nziemi bulldozed his way to the foul line a career-high 15 times, hitting nine, and Hutchinson was 7-8 from the stripe. Elijah Tucker added 12 points while going to the foul line 11 times to go with a team-best four assists. Redd Thompson Jr. chipped in 10 points.
 
Elijah Davis put home 21 to lead Morgan State (1-7), and Alfred Worrell Jr. had 20. Rob Lawson hit four threes en route to 18 points.
 
"I believe we grew up and got a win in a tough environment," said Longwood Head Coach Ronnie Thomas. "It was a very physical game, and I thought our guys took a lot of punches from multiple circumstances tonight, some being out of their control. I really credit their fight and ability to stay together. We have been challenging them to be more connected, and you have been able to see a difference since the MTE at American."

Morgan State got off to an excellent start, taking an early 7-0 lead in the first 95 seconds, but Tucker settled down the Lancers with a layup, and Longwood scored seven of the next nine points to make it a one possession game.
 
Worrell, who had 12 points in the first half for Morgan State, stemmed the tide momentarily, but Longwood kept hanging around within one or two possessions. The Lancers did so by virtue of having nine different players score, keying the team to shoot .577 (15-26) from the floor.
 
Finally, Longwood struck. Nziemi kicked off a 12-3 run with a layup off a Tucker pass. His bucket trimmed the lead to 35-32 with 4:13 to go in the half, and the Lancer defense gave up one basket and one free throw for the rest of the half.
 
Meanwhile, Nziemi scored six of the team's 12 points, with his offensive board and lay-in giving Longwood its first lead at 38-37 with 1:04 to go in the half. The team extended the lead to 42-38 at the break.
 
The Lancers stormed out of the second half, buoyed by Hutchinson's eight points in the first two-and-a-half minutes. His second triple gave Longwood a 51-41 lead.
 
But Morgan State battled back into the game, cutting the Longwood lead to one possession with less than eight minutes to go.
 
Tucker punched home a layup with 7:04 to stabilize the game off a nice feed from Nziemi. The two sides traded body blows, with free throws helping Longwood answer each Morgan State foray. The Lancers finished the game with 16 second-chance points while outrebounding Morgan State by nine.
 
Benard canned a three with 3:23 to go for a 75-69 lead, but Morgan State answered with a pair of free throws by Davis, and the score stayed tight. Lawson hit a triple to trim the lead to 79-76, but the two defenses didn't give up a point for the next minute.
 
Redd Thompson hit a free throw with 30 seconds left for a four-point lead, but the Bears answered with a layup to cut it to two with 21 seconds to go.
 
After a pair of free throws went wide for the Lancers, Emanuel Richards stuffed Lawson on a layup, and Nziemi gobbled up the rebound, his team-leading eighth of the game. He sank two free throws to put Longwood back up by four, and Hutchinson iced the game with two more free throws moments later.

"Our team is growing, and we are continuing to learn who we are," said Thomas. "We were able to get healthier today, and I believe that will allow us to get more in a rhythm and become more consistent with our lineups and expectations of each player. We also got a road win which will be important to be able to do in tough environments in Big South play."
 
The Lancers are back in action next Saturday when the team hosts Delaware State at 3 p.m. The game is Military Appreciation Day and Prince Edward County day. In addition, the Lancers will host a Teddy Bear Toss. Fans can bring a teddy bear to toss onto the court for a free ticket to the game. The bears will be donated to Gleaning For The World as part of the organization's Teddy Bear Brigade. The game will air on ESPN+.
 
#GoWood #HorsePower