Upstate saves best for last in thriller over Longwood

Ahmir Langlais (35) gets second-chance layup in final seconds to lift USC Upstate past Longwood Wednesday. (Photo by Ryan Frye/USC Upstate Athletics)

By Justin Mathis (@J_Math23)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – “I was just telling them to keep fighting and to keep their joy.” 

 

That is what USC Upstate guard Justin Bailey said to his teammates at halftime as the Spartans found themselves staring at a double-digit deficit against Longwood in a key Big South tilt Wednesday night.

 

As time wound down, an Ahmir Langlais putback from the left side with 1.4 seconds left lifted Upstate to an exhilarating 73-71 victory over Longwood, marking the lone lead of the night for the host Spartans.

 

“It worked just how we drew it up,” remarked USC Upstate head coach Dave Dickerson with a grin.

 

“I set the screen for Trae Broadnax,” Langlais began to explain. “He got downhill as he normally does, and I made sure to stay active. I saw (the defenders) both doubled down. I thought the layup was good when he went up for it, but it was a little over. I like it when my teammates go in for layups because if they miss, I’m right there for the putback every time. It’s about staying together.”

 

Two jump shots, one apiece by Johnathan Massie and Walyn Napper, helped Longwood extend its lead to 50-36 with 14:52 to play in regulation. But shortly after that, Upstate began to gradually chip away.

 

Three shots from long distance — one each from Broadnax, Miguel Ayesa, and Nick Alves — along with three Floyd Rideau free throws and a Bailey four-point play, slashed the deficit to a 60-54 margin with 9:36 remaining. Just over a minute later, Bailey fired a pass to Ayesa for a fastbreak layup that made it a four-point game and led to a Lancer timeout.

 

“I think that’s what we’ve been missing, that fight and urge to keep fighting and clawing,” added Bailey. “The guys on our team kind of get down on themselves. I think it’s my responsibility as a leader on the team to uplift those guys, tell them that it’s not the end of the world, mistakes happen, but to keep your joy. Remember why you play this game and why you’re here. We’ve got to stay connected and that’s what we did.”

 

Szymon Zapala’s layup made for a six-point Lancer advantage, but an old-fashioned three-point play from Langlais pulled Upstate within one possession at 68-65 with 4:11 to play. After Longwood split a pair of free throws, Ayesa drained his third triple of the night just over a minute later before Broadnax made a free throw and layup, the latter of which tied the game at 71 with 44 seconds to go. 

 

“I’m at a loss right now, to be quite honest,” Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich said postgame on WVHL. “If we don’t change our approach to be urgently focused on executing and playing at an extremely hard and high level, we can’t expect the results to change. We got up by 14 and we’re casual. We leave shooters open. We foul three-point shooters. We let guys catch the ball in the post. These are fundamental breakdowns that there has to be more urgency. The buck stops with me, but I haven’t been able to figure out how to get us there.” 

 

Following the Broadnax layup, Upstate’s defense clamped down and forced a miss on a step-back jumper, which led to the game-winning basket by Langlais. The Spartans outscored Longwood in the second half by a 45-33 margin.

 

“Our coaching staff — Andrew Garcia, Nori Johnson, and Chris Logsdon — did a good job of talking personnel, offense, and defense,” Dickerson pointed out. “We did not call a timeout at the end when we got that big stop. We ran a zero look to get (Broadnax) downhill. It worked really well, but our defense in the last four minutes of the game was outstanding.” 

 

Bailey posted a game-high 16 points for the Spartans, as did Broadnax while adding eight assists and six rebounds. Langlais finished with 13 points and four rebounds, followed by Ayesa with 11 points. The Spartans made 29 out of 54 shots from the floor and outscored the Lancers off the bench by a 30-23 margin. 

 

D'Avian Houston and Justin Granlund each tallied a team-high 13 points for Longwood, along with 12 points from Massie and 11 by Zapala. The Lancers made 24 out of 49 shots from the field and were held to six fast break points. Each team also recorded 34 points in the paint.

 

Both teams continue Big South play this Saturday as USC Upstate (6-11, 1-3) will visit Radford at 2 p.m., while Longwood (13-7, 1-4) hosts Presbyterian at 3 p.m.