ROCK HILL, S.C. – Longwood men's basketball went down to the wire with Winthrop on Saturday afternoon in Rock Hill, but a late Kody Clouet triple with less than a minute to go separated the two teams.
 
Clouet had 11 of his 14 points after halftime for Winthrop (18-8, 10-1) to edge the Lancers (13-13, 5-6 Big South) 79-74. Tommy Kamarad added 15 points while Logan Duncomb had 14 points and Josh Meo chipped in 10.
 
Johan Nziemi and Jacoi Hutchinson both scored in double figures to lead Longwood, with Nziemi leading the team with 13 points. Hutchinson added 11 points and a team-best four assists. Six other Lancers had seven or eight points as the team spread the scoring load on the road.

"Can't blame anyone but ourselves," said Longwood Head Coach Ronnie Thomas. "I told the guys we can only blame two people-ourselves first, then me. We had a deadly defensive error late with a 71-71 game and two costly turnovers in the last two minutes. We have to look in the mirror and be better late in the game to secure the win."
 
Neither side led by more than eight in a back-and-forth defensive struggle. Both teams shot less than 40 percent from the floor, but there were a total of 75 free throws as the two sides repeatedly attacked the rim.
 
Early in the second half, Longwood erased a five-point deficit with a 9-0 run, their longest run of the game. Nziemi scored five during the stretch to give the Lancers the 44-40 advantage.
 
Winthrop cashed back-to-back triples, and the two sides were neck-and-neck for the remainder of the afternoon. Neither side led by more than four points over the last 13 minutes until the game was decided.
 
Longwood took the lead with 3:49 to go on a jumper from Redd Thompson Jr., but a pair of foul shots gave Winthrop the lead again.
 
Elijah Kelly tipped in a miss for the Lancers with 2:45 to go with a 70-69 lead, but Duncomb answered with a layup for Winthrop. The Lancers tied the score at 71  on an Elijah Tucker free throw prior to Clouet's triple with less than a minute to play that put Winthrop ahead for good.

"The team showed a lot of resiliency to fight under the circumstances that we were up against," Thomas added. "Hopefully this will help us during the run in and what it will take to finish off opponents in the league. We are right there, and we are going to reach our peak-sooner rather than later!"
 
Longwood returns home for back-to-back games next week. Longwood hosts UNC Asheville on Thursday night on ESPNU for the Big South wild card. The game is sponsored by Centra Southside Community Hospital, and tip is at 7 p.m. The Lancers will host USC Upstate on Saturday at 3 p.m. Both games will air on ESPN+.
 
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