Lancers crush Cairn in last non-conference bout
Published 1:21 pm Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Led by five double-figure scorers and a double-double from Shaquille Johnson, Longwood routed Cairn 90-52 in the final non-conference game of the season Monday evening at Willett Hall.
Johnson neared a triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in 26 minutes of action to lead a Longwood (4-10) team that outscored the visiting Highlanders 54-23 after halftime.
That second-half onslaught saw the Lancers hit 23-of-35 (.657) shots from the field en route to their largest margin of victory since a 111-62 win over Montreat on Nov. 22, 2010.
Key to that dominance in the paint was a well-rested Longwood lineup that returned to its home court after nearly a week-long holiday break and four straight road games.
The Lancers made use of their fresh legs, outscoring Cairn 60-8 in the paint and generating 10 points on fast breaks. Johnson led the charge, hitting 7-of-12 shots from the field while dishing seven assists that led to 15 points.
Longwood’s defense forced 19 turnovers and registered 11 steals and six blocks.
Johnson helped put the game out of reach early in the second half, keying a 16-0 run after halftime with four points, three rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal during that span of 6:29.
The 16 unanswered points ballooned a seven-point halftime lead to 23. Two of Johnson’s career-high seven assists went to center Lotanna Nwogbo, who threw down four dunks and scored 14 points.
Nwogbo and Johnson were two of Longwood’s five double-figure scorers, joining Khris Lane, who netted a team-high 16 points, Darrion Allen, who had 14, and Chris Shields, who added 11 off the bench. Lane and Shields’ combined 25 points were part of a season-best 37 points from Longwood’s bench.
The Lancers will return to their home court on Saturday, when they host Gardner-Webb at 2 p.m.