The Lancers found their groove in the second half in front of a sold out crowd for a 84-66 win versus a scrappy Morgan State team. The game ended up as a nearly twenty point victory, a needed statement win for Head Coach Griff Aldrich’s squad after a lackluster showing in last Monday’s 79-68 victory over Division III opponent Randolph College.

First Half

The Lancers didn’t completely distance themselves from that Monday night scare in front of a reported crowd of 3,246 faithful in Farmville. An immediate five second violation against Morgan State put a brief pause on the game before it could even begin. That then led to some poor ball movement on the outside, before a forced missed layup by Johan Nziemi provided Morgan State the opportunity to take an early 2-0 lead.

That lead wouldn’t last long though. Longwood slowly and methodically started to heat up from the perimeter with Jaylen Benard making two from range and Colby Garland adding one of his own with 11:30 left in the first half.

But as fast as they began to heat up, the team went cold. A run of fouls and missed attempts both from inside and outside the arc set the stage for the Bears to take a 18-16 lead, before Michael Christmas powered through contact under the rim to tie the game back up. A fleury of lead changes, the seemingly always present questionable fouls against the Lancers, and some careless turnovers followed before Kyrell Luc, Nziemi, Christmas, and KJ McClurg decided that they had had enough of a pesky and physical Bears team, and put the Lancers up 36-32 heading into the half.

This half felt uncharacteristically sloppy for a Griff Aldrich coached team, and he was audibly frustrated at times on the sideline both with the lack of communication and reckless urgency that his team appeared to be playing with, often urging his guys to “slow down”! These were trends that carried over from game one, and could likely be attributed to the massive turnover this roster has undergone since their Big South title run last season.

Second Half

The second half is where the Lancers really began to flex their muscle. Chirstmas, Luc, McClurg, and last year’s Big South All Freshman Team member Emanuel Richards took turns adding to Longwood’s lead, a lead they would never relinquish.

The team began to move the ball around much better on the offensive side of the ball, drawing contact when inside and creating open looks on the perimeter to increase their 3 point percentage. If this Lancers team is looking to make another Big South Championship push, their efficiency from deep is going to be key. Although Christmas led the team with 19 points, seven of those came from the line and he was only 2-6 from deep.

McClurg on the other hand is a different story. While he was only 2-5 from deep against Morgan State, he is typically an excellent 3 point shooter and looks to be someone who can generate a spark when this team needs it.

The Lancers bench helped to propel them to a dominant victory in the second half as well. A total of eleven different players scored points to help propel the Lancers towards victory, with thirteen players recording minutes in this game.

Looking Forward

If Longwood can continue to play as they did in the second half, this team should not be afraid to play anyone on their schedule. Aldrich has a certain style of play that has proven time and time again to be successful, and with a roster turnover of this size, it will take some time to adjust to the scheme.

The Lancers have a formidable stretch coming up with home matchups against Milwaukee and UT Martin before a trip to New York to play Binghampton.

After that matchup, the Lancers will play in the Paradise Jam tournament in the US Virgin Islands with an opening game against the UAB Blazers.

As long as the team can continue to rotate in fresh players off of the bench without seeing a decrease in production, they should fair well. One player to keep an eye on moving forward is Sophomore guard Colby Garland. He came off of the court a couple of times during this matchup and immediately went to the training staff to have his left leg looked at. It didn’t seen to impact his play in this game, but there is a chance that his usage could be reduced moving forward if the injury continues to linger.

The Lancers will take the court next on Wednesday 11/13 against the UT Martin Skyhawks in a battle of the unbeatens. According to current ESPN projections, the Lancers have an 81.2% chance of pushing their winning streak to 3. To do so, the Lancers defense will have to contain Skyhawks guard Josu Grullon who is a lethal shooter from range, averaging 43.8% from beyond the arc.