DALLAS –SMU men's basketball brought one of the top offensive attacks in the nation into a matchup with Longwood men's basketball on Sunday, and the high-octane Mustangs (11-2) outshot the Lancers 98-82 in a game that was closer than the final margin.
 
SMU, who came in 30^th in the NCAA NET ranking, was a torrid 62 percent from the floor as a team. It was the second straight game the team shot better than 60 percent from the deck after also reaching the mark in ACC play on the road at Boston College.
 
Longwood provided plenty of firepower in its own right though and refused to fold to a Power 5 opponent. The Lancers forced 20 turnovers, snared 15 offensive rebounds, had 21 assists on 34 made shots and outscored SMU in the paint, but SMU hit 10 triples and went 26-31 at the foul line.
 
Elijah Tucker paced the Lancers (11-4) with 20 points, and Colby Garland added 19 points and a career best 11 assists. Emanuel Richards chipped in 12 points as well, but SMU didn't miss from just about anywhere on the floor.
 
Boopie Miller led the home side with 24 points and seven assists, and Yohan Traore muscled in 20 points, a season-high, of his own to go with 11 rebounds. Matt Cross added 19 points, and Chuck Harris scored 12 for an SMU side that came in with five players averaging double figures in scoring.

"Our emphasis for the game was to be aggressive and stay the course when SMU made runs," said Longwood Head Coach Griff Aldrich. "I was proud of our guys for responding several times to their runs. Unfortunately, we were unable to continue to consistently respond, and a few of our second half dips proved too costly.

"However, the resiliency we saw today – while not what is required against a team of SMU's caliber – was a real positive step forward for our group. If we can keep progressing as we have been over the past few weeks, we will be ready to compete night in and night out against a conference slate that is as strong as we have seen during my tenure."
 
The beginning of the game featured high level offensive execution on both sides.
 
Tucker scored Longwood's first six points, but Traore matched him point for point in the same time frame. Garland also got going early for Longwood, both scoring the basketball with crafty moves around the rim and spraying the ball to teammates around the arc.
 
Both teams played hot potato with the lead in the first eight minutes. DJ Jefferson gave Longwood a 22-21 lead with 11:07 to go in the half, but SMU's Matt Cross, who had 19 points, responded with a three as part of a 5-0 spurt to give the lead to the Mustangs.
 
SMU pushed the lead to 12 during a 17-4 run, but the Lancers rebounded with five straight to immediately cut the lead to single digits. Tucker had a pair of foul shots before Emanuel Richards banged a triple from a Garland feed.
 
The duo kickstarted a 17-5 run for the Lancers that Garland capped with a jumper at the top of the key to even the game at 43 apiece. SMU's Chuck Harris beat the halftime buzzer with a floater that got a friendly bounce to give the home side a 45-43 lead at the break.
 
After halftime, SMU started to pull away by going 10-11 from the floor over the opening minutes of the second half, but the Lancers refused to go away throughout the afternoon.
 
The Mustangs hit a trio of threes to help push the lead to 60-46, but Longwood rallied again. Johan Nziemi muscled in five points during an 8-0 run that helped Longwood pull back within two possessions at 60-54.
 
Ultimately, an 11-0 run by SMU put the Mustangs ahead by double digits for good.
 
Longwood's non-conference play is complete, and the Lancers begin Big South play on Thursday afternoon at Presbyterian. Tip is set for 2 p.m. in Clinton, and the game will air on ESPN+.
 
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