FARMVILLE, Va. – Late heroics from senior Edwin Cole and a career-high 33 points from junior Daniel Alexander nearly led to an improbable Frostburg upset, but Division I Longwood pulled ahead in overtime to narrowly defeat the Bobcats, 68-65.
Frostburg led by as many as four points with 3:38 remaining in regulation, but the Lancers went on an 8-1 run, giving them a 57-54 advantage with just 25 seconds remaining. With the seconds ticking down, and needing a three-pointer to tie, Cole took matters into his own hands for the Bobcats as he drained a three with six seconds left in regulation. The Lancers quickly moved the ball down the court and junior Shabooty Phillips stopped for a jumper, but it was Cole again with the heroics for Frostburg as he blocked the shot to force the overtime period.
The Lancers led nearly the entire overtime period, as a JaShaun Smith layup fell in with four minutes left to give Longwood the lead for good. Smith scored seven of his 13 points in the extra frame to lead Longwood's final charge to the 68-65 victory.
Alexander scored more than half of the Bobcats' points with the 33 he collected, including five three-pointers made, another career-high for the junior. His 33 points were the most by a Bobcat since last season's opening game against Case Western Reserve, when Tyler Michael collected 34 points. Alexander also hauled in a team-high 12 rebounds, giving him his first double-double of the season and the second of his career.
The Lancers were led by Phillips junior Seán Flood, who each had a team-high 13 points, while Damarion Geter scored 10 points and collected 13 rebounds for a double-double in the winning effort.
After this hard-fought loss, the Bobcats record now sits at 3-4 on the season while the Lancers improve to 7-3.
Midway through the first half, the Lancers went on a 16-0 run that was led by Flood, who collected six points and shot a successful three-pointers during the streak. The Bobcats would respond with a long run of their own, scoring 12 unanswered points to shrink the deficit as Longwood took a 30-24 lead into halftime.
Alexander led the Bobcats on an 11-2 run with three jumpers to start the second half to take a 35-32 lead, but Longwood answered with an 11-1 run. Flood nailed a three-pointer and sophomore Jordan Cintron had four points to give the Lancers a seven-point advantage before the Bobcats came back to eventually force the overtime period.
The Bobcats' next game will take place on December 20 at Bobcat Arena, as they host Eastern Mennonite with tip-off scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
