The Overtime Report: Lancers Handle Business
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Leron Fisher will man the point until Quincy Taylor Returns (Photo: Matthew Alexander)[/caption]
Much like the Hampden Sydney game, the Longwood men’s basketball team took care of business on Friday night with a 79–53 victory over the visiting DIII Averett University Cougars. The Lancers squad played sloppy and without rhythm during parts of the night but were still able to claim the 26 point win in Willett Hall.
One player in mid-season form was freshman guard Ryan Badowski. Playing his first official college game, Badowski lit it up from the 3 point line with 7 treys. The neat thing was that Badowski performed so well with his family in attendance as they made the trek from Ohio to Farmville for his first game in a Lancers uniform. Badowski also added 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal in just 18 minutes of action.
Badowski was easily the most efficient player on the floor Friday night. The rest of the team seemed to be missing something. They played hard, hustled constantly, and never lost confidence but one could tell Quincy Taylor was missed. He’s the natural leader and he keeps guys level when in the game. Taylor carries himself with a sense of composure that rubs off on the team. That flow typically instilled by Taylor was absent versus Averett. The impressive thing is, this Lancers team was still able to beat an opponent by 26 points. Cruising to victory is not something the folks of Lancer Nation are accustomed to so I’m not sure there’s any reason to complain at this point.
With all of the above mentioned, this was not a bad performance. This game was not indicative of the bad teams we have seen in the past. On a night that we have labeled “sloppy,” the Lancers still shot 28–55 (50.9%) from the field with 19 assists. The team shot 42.3% (11–26) from three point range and 75% (12–16) from the charity stripe. Longwood had 12 steals and forced the Cougars into 18 turnovers which they turned into 26 points.
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From an individualistic standpoint, Lotanna Nwogbo is working his way back into game shape. Nwogbo hasn’t looked as dominant as advertised but that should be expected as the redshirt junior hasn’t played in a college game in more than a year. There’s no question that there is a difference between practice speed and game speed. I have no doubt Nwogbo will start to impose his will on teams in the very near future. There were a couple instances in Friday night’s game where Nwogbo flashed his physical ability. On two occasions, Nwogbo attempted to dunk in the paint despite a lot of contact. Once he got to the foul line, the big man looks comfortable shooting his free throws (3/4 vs Averett).
At this point, Longwood has played two games (and the HSC was an exhibition/unoffical) so there is no need to draw any conclusions. There was a time where we struggled to beat non-DI teams. Now, even with bumps in the road, we are dominating non-DI competition (as we should). JMU will be a good test on Wednesday. Even without Q, Longwood will do a good job of competing with the Dukes. The game in Harrisonburg will go a long way in creating some relevancy within the state of Virginia as well. Remember, relevancy is the real goal this season. Beating in state rivals would be a really good place to start. Also, it appears that the Lancer Lunatics will be taking a busload (or two…or three?) of students to the game Wednesday.
Tidbits:
Shaq Johnson gave the Longwood faithful what they had been waiting for: a soaring dunk. Following a steal, Johnson launched himself from just inside the Big South logo in the paint to connect on a two hand slam. Adding to it, Shaq converted the 3 point play after being fouled by a trailing AU defender.
Leron Fisher had a wishy washy night. The junior guard had 8 points, 3 rebounds (2 offensive), 4 assists, and 4 steals. The issue Coach Gee has an issue with are the 4 turnovers committed by Fisher.
DJ Allen didn’t stand out but he performed well Friday night. The sophomore tallied 6 points, 3 rebounds (2 offensive), 3 assists, 1 block, and a steal. What’s better is that Allen had 0 turnovers in 34 minutes of action.
Damarion Geter had a quiet night finishing with 4 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal. Obviously, Geter needs a larger rebounding total to help his team. Contrarily, 4 assists is a solid number coming from the 4 spot.
Kanayo Obi-Rapu played his role well for the night. The freshman totaled 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Obi-Rapu turned the ball over just once in 25 minutes. The only glaring issue is the freshman did not get to the line on the night. Once he starts creating opportunities at the charity stripe, he could be a double figure scoring threat.
