GWU outlasts LU 67-66
Published 2:25 pm Tuesday, January 5, 2016
- Six Redskins cheerleaders performed at Longwood University’s basketball game against Gardner-Webb Saturday.
Gardner-Webb freshman Laquincy Rideau sank the game-winning free throw with 8.3 seconds remaining, and a Khris Lane three-pointer clanked off the front iron at the buzzer to give Gardner-Webb a 67-66 win over Longwood University men’s basketball team Saturday afternoon in Willett Hall.
With the score tied at 66-66 and 8.3 seconds remaining, Rideau went to the line and missed his first free throw but connected on the second to give Gardner-Webb (8-8, 3-1 Big South) a one-point lead. Longwood (4-12, 0-3 Big South) ran an inbounds play to Lane with 1.2 seconds on the clock, but the redshirt sophomore forward’s three-pointer from the corner bounced off the front of the rim as time expired.
“Tremendous effort, tremendous class, tremendous leadership by our seniors,” said Longwood head coach Jayson Gee. “We’re just disappointed that last shot didn’t go in for us. We played extremely hard, and I thought we deserved that victory.”
In a game that was within one possession for the entire final four minutes, Gardner-Webb overcame a Darrion Allen three-pointer that tied the game at 64-64 with 2:32 remaining and two more Allen free throws that knotted the score again at 66-66 with 1:28 left.
Allen tied the game three times on the night, and after doing it a third time with 1:28 remaining, both teams came up empty on consecutive second-chance possessions. Longwood senior guard Tra’Vaughn White got a look at a potential game-winning three-pointer after a Lotanna Nwogbo missed jumper, but Rideau was fouled fighting for the rebound and went to the line where he sank his eventual game-winner.
Gardner-Webb held off Longwood’s late rally thanks to Tyrell Nelson’s 14 points, 10 of which came in the second half. Nelson sank a go-ahead layup with 1:45 remaining that put the Runnin’ Bulldogs ahead 66-64 before Allen responded with his game-tying free throws 20 seconds later.
The 6-2, 165-pound Allen nearly played hero, finishing with an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double that included a perfect 10-of-10 performance from the free throw line. He scored seven points in the final four minutes and tied the game twice en route to his third straight double-figure scoring game.
“It was a tough game,” said Allen, whose 18 points and 10 rebounds were both season highs. “In the end, we just thought the little things that happened early in the game added up to make a difference. We had 19 turnovers, and it’s hard to win a game with 19 turnovers.”
Longwood center Lotanna Nwogbo added a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Shaquille Johnson scored a game-high 19 points.
“At the end of the day, this team fought hard,” Gee said. “I can appreciate their frustration and disappointment, but we have to channel that to do something productive.”
The Lancers (4-12, 0-3 Big South) will now hit the road for a Big South matchup against the league’s leading scorer DeSean Murray at Presbyterian on Jan. 6, followed by a return trip to Willett Hall to host Coastal Carolina on Jan. 9.