AllNCAA Sports

Longwood Lancers Cruises Pass the USC Upstate Spartans (1-25-25)



By: Xavier Jones

Headline Photo Credit: Arturo Jones-LMS Network 

On Saturday afternoon, at the Joan Perry Brock Center in Farmville, VA, the Longwood Lancers went up against the USC Upstate Spartans. The Lancers were looking to continue their winning ways and push their streak to three games. The Spartans are seeking to turn things around in their season by ending their four-game losing streak. This game was a tale of two halves for Longwood. Throughout the majority of the first half, the Lancers struggled with shooting from the field. From my view, the defense of the Spartans wasn’t the issue they just didn’t knock down their shots. Normally when the home team does that, they’ll eventually find their stroke as the game goes on. USC Upstate mistake was not capitalizing on the opportunity to put its foot down on the throttle. At the end of the half, Longwood tightened up on the defensive end and turned that into easy buckets on the offensive end of the court. Longwood would end the half on a 17-6 run to make the score 32-30 at halftime. The Lancers shot 39% from the field, 13% from 3, and 64% at the free throw line. While the Spartans shot 48% from the field, 33% from 3, and 67% at the free throw line. Longwood would be looking to carry their momentum into the second half and finish out the game strong.

Entering the second half, the momentum that was generated by Longwood stayed with them throughout the entire half. The script was flipped for both teams in the second half when it came to shooting from the field. At one point in time, the Lancers had outscored the Spartans 19-6 halfway through the second half. Longwood’s defensive intensity turned up another notch which led to easy buckets. Turnovers committed by USC Upstate were key for them losing the lead and never regaining it after Longwood had taken over. When you are shooting poorly, every possession has to count. As compared to the first-half shooting percentages, the Spartans shot 26% from the field, 20% from 3, and 46% at the free throw in the second half. Those are the type of percentages that is a recipe for losing your fifth game in a row. The Longwood Lancers went on to outscore USC Upstate 50-22 in the second half to secure the victory and third consecutive game. The final score of the game was 80-54. Longwood had 6 players score in double figures, led by Michael Christmas’ 17 points. Kyrell Luc chipped in with 15 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals.

The Longwood Lancers’ next game is January 29th, on the road against Gardner-Webb. The USC Upstate Spartans’ next game is also on January 29th, at home against Charleston Southern.