Senior guard Brian Gunn (Danville, VA/G.W. Danville) scored a game-high 19 points to lead Hampden-Sydney. Freshman forward Mladen Cvijanovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Miller School) added a game-high 16 points, while junior center Aaron Lewek (Raleigh, NC/Leesville Road) recorded his first collegiate double-double with ten points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Drew Prehmus (Atlanta, GA/Wesleyan) scored ten points to give the Tigers four players in double-figures in scoring.
Longwood opened the game on a 21-9 run thanks to six points from freshman Lamar Barrett and five from sophomore guard Michael Jefferson. A layup by Prehmus with 8:59 to play in the first half started the Tigers on an 20-6 run of their own to give the team a 29-27 lead on a pair of Cvijanovic free throws at the 2:53 mark. Cvijanovic led the rally with nine of the Tigers’ 20 points.
The two teams battled back-and-forth over the final two-plus minutes with Longwood taking a 33-32 lead into the break thanks to a pair of free throws by Dana Smith.
In the second half, Longwood again opened a big lead, holding an eight-point advantage, 57-49, on a Lamar Barrett layup with 8:12 to play in the game. The Tigers again went on a run, taking a 68-62 lead on a Mike Edwards (Richmond, VA/Steward School) steal and Brian Gunn layup to cap a 19-5 run.
A free throw by Chad Kosmo and a layup by Michael Jefferson sliced the Tiger advantage to three points, 68-65, with 1:21 to play, but Matt Guill (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus) answered with a layup and free throw, while Gunn iced the game with a steal and layup as the Tigers prevailed, 73-67.
Lamar Barrett led the Lancers with 18 points, while Maurice Sumter finished with 15 points and a team-high ten rebounds. Michael Jefferson added 12 for the Lancers, who shot 42 percent (27-65) from the floor, 41 percent (7-for-17) from beyond the arc and 67 percent (6-for-9) from the line.
The Tigers shot 42 percent (29-for-69) from the floor, 35 percent (6-for-17) from three point range and 69 percent (9-for-13) from the line. Both teams grabbed 41 boards, while Hampden-Sydney committed a season-low 11 turnovers compared to 15 for the Lancers. Longwood also had ten blocked shots, while the Tigers made a season-high nine steals.
Hampden-Sydney returns to action Wednesday, December 1, as the Tigers host Virginia Wesleyan in their first Old Dominion Athletic Conference contest of the season at 7 pm in Fleet Gymnasium. The game will be broadcast live on FM 95.7 WFLO and on the internet at www.hsc.edu/athletics.