Lancers fall to Antelopes in non-BSC finale

Published 12:31 pm Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Longwood University’s men’s basketball team lost 86-56 to Western Athletic Conference (WAC) preseason favorite Grand Canyon University on Thursday evening at GCU Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.

Sophomore guard Fiifi Aidoo, of the Antelopes (9-3), poured in a team-high 14 points to lead four double-figure Grand Canyon scorers.

The Lancers (3-10), played without leading scorer redshirt junior guard Isaiah Walton, starting redshirt senior guard Charles Glover and key reserve redshirt sophomore forward Jahleem Montague. The team struggled to score against a Grand Canyon defense that entered the game holding opponents to a WAC-low 59.2 points per game. The Antelopes held the Lancers to a season-low three three-pointers.

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“Their size really dictated a lot of things,” said Longwood Head Coach Jayson Gee. “We weren’t able to execute early on. This environment is a true home-court advantage, and they were able to get off to a good start.”

Thursday’s loss ends a grueling road trip to Arizona for the Lancers, who faced the No. 3 team in the nation, Arizona State University, and the WAC preseason favorite in a span of 48 hours. The Lancers limped through both of those games without the injured Walton and Glover and then lost Montague to another injury against Arizona State.

The bulk of the scoring burden Thursday fell to redshirt senior guard B.K. Ashe and freshman guard Kamil Chapman, who scored a team-high 13 points apiece, and sophomore forward JaShaun Smith, who scored 11.

Thursday’s game signals the end of Longwood’s non-conference schedule. The Lancers return to the court Saturday when they visit Charleston Southern University at 12:30 p.m.