ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Reigning Big South Freshman of the Year MaCio Teague poured in a game-high 24 points to help Big South preseason No. 1 UNC Asheville pull away from Longwood 90-80 Tuesday evening at Kimmel Arena.
 
The 6-3, 190-pound Teague posted his fifth 20-point game of the season and teamed up with fellow guard Ahmad Thomas to help the Bulldogs (9-8, 2-2 Big South) remain a perfect 7-0 on their home court. Thomas added 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and five steals as the Bulldogs overcame a Longwood squad that shot .531 (26-of-49) from the floor as part of its best offensive game of the season.
 
"I was pleased we went to the free throw line 28 times, but we just couldn't hold them down," said Longwood head coach Jayson Gee. "Teague's a really good player. I thought he got off some really good shots. Our effort was there, but we just had too many turnovers to weather the storm against a really good team on the road."
 
The 90-point game was the third of the season for the Bulldogs and was enough to outpace 80 points from the Lancers (4-13, 1-3 Big South), their most against a Division I opponent this season. Following Longwood's 79-73 win over Gardner-Webb this past Saturday, Longwood has now scored at least 79 points in back-to-back games against Division I opponents for the first time this season.
 

Chuck Glover, ladies and gentlemen. #GoWood pic.twitter.com/3RSWbpG4lQ

— Longwood Men's BB (@LongwoodMBB) January 10, 2018

Propelling that offensive effort for the Lancers (4-13, 1-3 Big South) was redshirt senior Charles Glover, who scored a season-high 19 points. Longwood's leading scorer Isaiah Walton added 16, and redshirt sophomore Jahleem Montague set a career-high with 12 points of his own.
 
Glover knocked down 7-of-11 shots from the field and fell one point shy of what would have been the second 20-point game of his career. He hit four three-pointers and added six assists, both team highs, and earned 33 minutes of court time, also a career high.

B.K. Ashe also turned in one of his most efficient nights of the season, dishing six assists and just two turnovers while scoring nine points in 39 minutes.
 

When you've played together for 4+ years...BK Ashe hits fellow 5th-year senior Chuck Glover on the fast-break. #GoWood pic.twitter.com/9oVsGKJtZG

— Longwood Men's BB (@LongwoodMBB) January 10, 2018

However, that production came amid 17 turnovers that the Lancers committed against UNC Asheville's 1-3-1 defense, which has produced the second-most steals and fourth-most opponent turnovers in the Big South this season. Thomas registered five of those takeaways Tuesday, giving him 33 on the season to temporarily take over the Big South lead from his teammate Teague.
 
"We wanted to attack their zone, and we did, but unfortunately we had too many turnovers attacking it," Gee said. "Early on we had some good looks at it and had some confidence against it, but we just couldn't consistently beat it. That's a bread-and-butter defense for them, and I have to give them credit."
 
That defense finally got to Longwood midway through the second half when the Lancers went cold from the field and scored on just three of 12 possessions and eventually gave way to a 22-10 UNC Asheville run. That turned a nine-point Bulldog lead to 23, but the Lancers responded with a 14-2 run of their own that cut the lead back to 10. Thanks to near-perfect free throw shooting down the stretch, Longwood closed out the game on a 19-6 run that featured seven points apiece from Montague and JaShaun Smith.
 
"I told them in the locker room I was really pleased with the fact that they didn't give up and they fought," Gee said. "This is a really good basketball team, a team picked to win our league. I thought we fought really hard, which is something we've done the last couple games and something we need to continue to do."
 

That smirk.... pic.twitter.com/iY3NM2vUOy

— Longwood Athletics (@LongwoodLancers) January 10, 2018

 
Longwood's newfound fight, which ignited a 10-steal night in Saturday's win against Gardner-Webb showed up again Tuesday in the form of 17 Lancer assists and 18 UNC Asheville turnovers. However, the Bulldogs made up the difference on the offensive glass where they converted nine offensive boards into 15 points.
 
Following Tuesday's setback, the recharged Lancers will get another chance to make a run up the Big South standings this Friday when they take on rival Liberty in Lynchburg, Va. That game tips off at 7 p.m. at the Vines Center.
 
#GoWood