FARMVILLE, Va. – Jaylen Benard hadn't scored all through 44 minutes and 50 seconds against Charleston Southern.
 
But the Lancer junior came up with the biggest shot of the game to lift Longwood (12-10, 5-3 Big South) past Charleston Southern (11-11, 2-5 Big South) 81-79 in overtime.
 
With Longwood down one, he tracked down a missed free throw and raced to the other end of the floor where he put home a layup with nine seconds left for an 80-79 lead.
 
Elijah Tucker swiped the ball on the next possession, and Johan Nziemi hit a free throw for the final tally as the Lancer defense forced another turnover from the Buccaneers on the final heave up the floor.
 
"Truthfully, we continue talking about playing a full 40 minutes. It took 45 tonight," said Longwood Head Coach Ronnie Thomas. "But within that, it's just every possession. Even when we went back into overtime, I told them, 'Hey guys, we talked about winning every possession, and we have a chance to do that.' Keeping them focused on our standard. It is going to take mental and physical toughness. And today they exuded both of those."
 
While Benard had the highlight at the end, Tucker and Nziemi provided plenty of muscle for the Lancers through the rest of the game. Tucker had a team-best 21 points, his second straight game with 21, to go with nine rebounds and three steals, and Nziemi added 17 points while tying a career high with 10 made free throws. He added four rebounds, two assists, a career high four steals and a block.
 
"Those guys are developing a really good partnership," Thomas said of Nziemi and Tucker. "We've had teams in our league completely change their post trap coverage because of those guys. Because of that, sometimes it can throw them off. But because of their connection with each other, they're seeing each other. They have a good feel for one another, and they're playing off each other really, really well. That's really elevating our team."
 
Jacoi Hutchinson added 12 points, and Emanuel Richards chipped in 11 as four Lancers scored in double figures.
 
That was enough, barely, to overcome a 30-point explosion from A'lahn Sumler from Charleston Southern. The redshirt-junior poured in 28 of his 30 points after halftime while making seven threes, and Brycen Blaine added 20 points.
 
Sumler hit a playground shot that tied things up at 67 apiece in regulation and capped a furious Buccaneer rally that erased an 18-point Lancer halftime lead.
 
CSU took the lead in overtime, their first since the first half, but the gritty Lancers pulled even thanks to Nziemi and Tucker's connection inside. Nziemi found Tucker repeatedly or earned his way to the foul line, where he went 6-8 in the extra five-minute segment.
 
That set the stage for the dramatic coast-to-coast finish from Benard.
 
Longwood plays on the road to close out the first half of Big South play on Wednesday night, January 28. The Lancers are headed to USC Upstate for a 7 p.m. tip, and the game will air on ESPN+.
 
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