FARMVILLE, Va. - Longwood men's basketball dominated in every facet and took care of business in a 101-45 victory over St. Mary's (Md.) on Tuesday night at the Joan Perry Brock Center.
Playing for the fourth time in the opening days of the season, the Lancers (3-1) shook off a slow start, closing the first half strong and then poured it on in the final 20 minutes. Longwood held a dominant 61-30 advantage on the glass, knocked down double-digit 3-pointers for the fourth-straight game, forced 27 turnovers, and outscored the Seahawks in both the paint, 48-18, and second chance points, 28-6.
Senior guard
Jaylen Benard led four Longwood players in double figures, scoring a career-high 17 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Fifth-year wing
Alphonzo Billups III added 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while sophomore
TJ Robinson posted a stat line of 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Junior guard
Ben Wesson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points on 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
The Lancers scored their first eight at the rim. Sophomore
Lazar Milosevic found a cutting Billups III for a lay-up just 15 seconds into the game, before the latter reciprocated to the former on the next Longwood possession. The margin reached double-digits for the first time, 16-6, on an
Abu Yarmah corner 3-pointer just over six minutes into the contest.
Longwood held St. Mary's without a field goal for over eight minutes in the latter stages of the opening half. During the stretch, the Lancers extended the lead from nine, 26-17, to 25, 46-21, on an
MJ Williams 3-pointer with just 33 seconds left in the opening frame.
After St. Mary's scored on its opening possession of second half, the Lancers further added its lead thanks to a 13-1 run. Billups III scored six during the sequence, including a jumper at the 16:17 mark to give the home team a 61-26 lead.
Bernard scored 10-straight points for the Lancers. He knocked on a pair of 3-pointers, and his lay-up with 13:29 remaining pushed the advantage to 71-30.
Longwood's lead reached its pinnacle at 58, 94-36, following a
Jorke Aav 3-pointer with 4:16 remaining. The Lancers connected on 12 3-pointers and finished the game shooting 46.3% (37-of-80) from the floor.
Defensively, the Lancers limited St. Mary's (0-2) to 29.4% (15-of-51) from the field. Longwood held a dominant 61-30 advantage on the glass, including 26 offensive rebounds. The Blue and White outscored the Seahawks in the paint, 48-18, and in second chance points, 28-6.
Milosevic, who was the overtime hero against N.C. Central, finished with seven points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting. Classmate
Elijah Kelly pulled down seven rebounds and added seven points. Freshman
Will Dopfer led the Lancers with nine rebounds to go with six rebounds, while Yarmah dished out a team-high five assists on the night.
Up Next
The Lancers hit the road to take on in-state foe Old Dominion on Saturday, Nov. 14. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. from Chartway Arena in Norfolk, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
