RADFORD, Va. – Redd Thompson, Jr. was electric and keyed a huge Longwood rally at Radford on Saturday, but Del Jones squelched it with a buzzer beater to win it 85-83 for Radford (11-9, 4-1 Big South).
Jones had a game-high 25, including the game-winning layup that turned aside a furious Lancer (10-10, 2-3 Big South) rally from an 18-point deficit to tie the game in the waning minutes.
Thompson came alive down the stretch, scoring 11 of his team-best 21 points in the final six minutes as the Lancers wrapped up a tough road stretch that saw them play all three of the teams in the top four of the Big South Preseason Poll on the road.
The sophomore's triple with 15 seconds left off a feed from
Jacoi Hutchinson, who had 10 points and five assists, tied the game at 83 apiece.
However, Jones wiggled free and hit a tough reverse layup in response, capping a stretch that saw him score eight of his 25 in the final six minutes. He was one of four who finished in double figures for Radford, with Lukas Walls adding 17 points, Dennis Parker, Jr. chipping in 13 and Jaylon Johnson adding 10.
"We got what we deserved," said Longwood Head Coach
Ronnie Thomas. "The final play didn't beat us. People naturally point to the last moment when things don't go your way, but it's never just the final thing in basketball, relationships or jobs. It is everything that leads up to the result. All the possessions before that last play matter, and that correlates to the result we received today. Basketball is a fair game if you put into the game what it demands out of you—which is passion, effort and energy."
Five players finished in double figures for Longwood.
Elijah Tucker had a double-double for a second straight contest, posting 17 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.
Jaylen Benard added 11 points, and Hutchinson and
Johan Nziemi added 10 points and five assists apiece.
The game was a tale of two halves. Radford opened up a double figure lead early, going 11-13 from the floor to start the game and shooting 60 percent from the deck in the opening 20 minutes. That led to a 53-36 lead at the break, and it grew to 60-42 early in the second half.
Longwood returned the favor after halftime though. The offense got hot and shot better than 60 percent from the floor, and the defense limited Radford to 39 percent shooting.
Thompson was awesome in the second half, scoring 16 of his 21 in the final 20 minutes while going 6-8 from the deck with three triples. Tucker also was a force on the interior, powering his way to 12 points as well as the game came down to the final seconds.
"We didn't play for 40 minutes," Thomas added. "We played for 20 to 24, and that's not good enough. In this league, especially on the road, you have to earn wins through consistency and toughness for the 40 minutes. We didn't do that today, and that's why we didn't deserve to win."
It marked the third straight meeting between the two teams that was decided by one possession and second straight decided by a shot within the last five seconds.
Longwood returns home for back-to-back home games next week when the team hosts Gardner-Webb on Wednesday night, January 21 at 7 p.m. before hosting Charleston Southern on Saturday, January 24 at 4 p.m. Wednesday night is sponsored by The Yeatman Group, and it is First Responders Night, Nursing Night and Central Virginia Christian School Night at the Joan Perry Brock Center. The game will air on ESPN+.
#GoWood #HorsePower
