NORFOLK, Va. - In a back-and-forth contest between in-state rivals, Old Dominion made a couple more plays down the stretch to edge Longwood, 80-74, at Chartway Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The Lancers (3-2) led by as many as 11 in the opening half, but a strong start to the second half allowed the Monarchs to take their first lead of the contest. A Bubu Benjamin 3-pointer put ODU (5-0) up by a point, 70-69, before sophomore
TJ Robinson responded with a pull-up jumper into the final media timeout, giving the Lancers a one-point lead with 2:41 left.
The Monarchs scored six in a row, including another Benjamin 3-pointer, to stretch lead to 76-71 just over a minute later. Longwood had a final chance to tie with 19 seconds remaining, but
MJ Williams could not get his leaning lay-up in traffic to fall. ODU pulled down the rebound and hit its last four free throws over the final 16 seconds to put the game away.
Williams led the Lancers with a season-high 19 points, hitting 4-of-7 from 3, to go along with three assists. Senior
Jaylen Benard scored a career-high 17 points for the second game in a row, all in the first half, and added seven rebounds. Fifth-year wing
Alphonzo Billups III and Robinson each finished in double figures with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Junior
Kany Musungay Tchanda topped the Lancers with a career-high 10 rebounds
ODU connected on 11 3-pointers, including seven during its second-half comeback, compared to Longwood's 8-of-26 from distance. The Lancers entered the game with double-digit 3-pointers in each of its first four games. Benjamin and Adante Holiman each connected on 4-of-9 from 3-point range for ODU. Holiman scored all 16 of his points in the final 20 minutes, while Benjamin had 11 of his 18 in the second frame.
Longwood started fast, scoring the game's first six points. The Lancers lead ballooned to 14-3 just 4:30 into the contest. A Billups III steal led to a fastbreak lay-up for Benard to force an ODU timeout.
The Lancers maintained a double-digit lead for most of the opening 20 minutes and the cushion was 32-22 following a pair of Robinson free throws with 7:12 left in the half.
ODU closed to within four, 38-34, in the final minute on a Khoi Thurmon 3-point play. Williams hit a 3-pointer to end the half and give Longwood a seven-point advantage at the break.
Holiman highlighted a 13-3 ODU run to start the second half. He knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in the opening three minutes of the frame to give home team a 47-44 lead at the 17:05 mark.
Williams answered with a triple for the Lancers to tie the game, but another Holiman 3 followed by a Benjamin layup extended ODU's advantage to 54-48 at the 14:28 mark.
A 10-0 Lancer run sparked by Robinson put the visitors back in front. He scored six during the spurt, including the final four at the free throw line, to give Longwood a 62-58 lead with 9:15 left.
For the game, Longwood was 24-of-30 at the free throw line. Billups III was a perfect 7-of-7 at the charity stripe, while Robinson hit 9-of-12. Longwood turned ODU's 12 turnovers into 21 points.
Zacch Wiggins led the Monarchs with 19 points. The Monarchs outrebounded Longwood, 42-36, on the night, including 15 on the offensive end.
Up Next
The Lancers return home for its second-straight game against a Commonwealth opponent, hosting VMI on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. from the Joan Perry Brock Center. Longwood will host its annual canned food drive on the night. In partnership with
FACES and Longwood's Alpha Gamma Delta (AGD) sorority, fans can receive one free ticket by donating two non-perishable food items at the game.
