Coming off a win against NC Central on Saturday, and off a week in which the Lancers played 3 games in the span of 6 days. The Lancers hoped to carry momentum through St. Mary’s MD and into a big one on Saturday against ODU.
There did seem to be a hangover after the Longwood thriller over the weekend, as the Lancers began with a shaky start, only up 2 at the Under 16 Media timeout, due in part to a hot 3-point shooting start by the Seahawks, with quick 3s from both Korey Blair and Evan Quintero.
By the Under 12, the tone was set by the Lancers, who had stretched their lead to 8 points with the help of Alphonzo Billups and TJ Robinson both having 7 points and 6 points up to that point, respectively.
The Lancers continued to extend their lead throughout the first half, taking a 25-point lead into halftime, led again by Billups and Robinson with 9 points and 8 points up to that point, with Robinson nearing the pace for a triple-double, also adding 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Despite St. Mary’s hot 3-point shooting start, the Lancers held the Seahawks back, allowing only one more made three after the early barrage.
The Lancers continued to impose their will on St. Mary’s MD through the Under 16 in the second half. Still, before the media timeout, Jaylen Benard and Chase Peterson received offsetting techs, which awoke something in Benard for the rest of the second half.
From the point of the technical foul to when Benard was pulled midway through the second half, Benard was able to score 11 points in around 4 minutes of action, which allowed Benard to set a new career high of 17 points in only 20 minutes of action for the Lancers. Coach Thomas and Jaylen Benard both jokingly hinted at the extra motivation after the technical.
Longwood also tested their depth late in the contest, highlighted by Ben Wesson with 11 points in 11 minutes of action and German freshman Will Dopfer with 6 points and 9 rebounds in 12 minutes.
Coach Thomas, after the game, also expressed his gratitude to St. Mary’s MD for coming down and playing this game and also gave credit to his staff for scheduling this game, as he believed St. Mary’s was a good tune-up for their game on Saturday against ODU, which the Lancers move on to next as they try to move to 4-1 on the season.
(Photo Credits: Longwood Athletics)