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Longwood men’s basketball rolled past Regent University 108-55 on Sunday afternoon in the team’s return to Farmville.

The Lancers (7-2) had four players score in double figures, and a season-high 14 players had points to keep the Lancers unbeaten at the Joan Perry Brock Center this season.

The offense was humming for much of the night, especially after halftime, when the Lancers poured in 62 points. Defense led to offense, with Longwood forcing 13 Regent (1-6) turnovers in the final 20 minutes.

Elijah Tucker had a hand in it, literally, grabbing three steals and injecting Longwood with energy and activity that led to easy buckets the other direction. The Lancers finished with 29 fast break points on the day.

“Elijah was terrific in terms of the last eight minutes of the first half,” said Longwood Associate Coach Marty McGillan. “He kind of allowed everyone to re-energize and realize this is the way the game needs to be played. That’s the expectation that we have. He was phenomenal getting everyone to do that, and then our size and length and physicality across the board for the next 20 minutes really showed itself.”

Defense sparks in return to Farmville 

While Tucker helped lead a defense that grew more and more disruptive as the afternoon went on in Farmville, Longwood’s offense was efficient on the other end, shooting a season-best .627 (42-67) from the floor. The Lancers had 25 assists on 42 made shots, also a season high, and 12 players had an assist.

Meanwhile, Longwood’s defense gummed up a Regent attack that shot better than 50 percent from the floor in the first half, limiting the Royals to 22 points after halftime.

“One of the things that we pointed out is that there’s a rhythm that they were able to play with in the first half,” McGillan said. “Things were a little too easy. Certainly defense was the message at every time out in the first half. It’s not complicated. You don’t guard, you’re probably not going to be on the court in the second half. The message was received, and guys started to do that. Then you started to see it ended up transferring to was the offense on the floor. Baskets started to come a little bit easier, shots started to come a little bit easier.”

Michael Christmas and DJ Jefferson powered home 14 points apiece, a career high for Jefferson. Emanuel Richards and Angelo Brizzi each added 11 points, with Brizzi adding a team-best six assists.

Regent didn’t miss much early, but Christmas and Richards provided early offense in the first half to match the Royals duo of Vladimir Vibert and Christian Brown. Richards muscled in seven of Longwood’s first eight points, and Christmas scored all 14 of his points before halftime.

Vibert (nine points) and Brown (eight points) helped Regent hang around as the visitors hit four threes in the opening 12 minutes. Brown finished with a game-high 16, and Vibert finished with 11.

Tightening up in the second half

Tucker and the Lancer defense tightened things up and forced five turnovers over the final eight minutes of the half. That keyed a 19-7 Lancer run that turned a one-possession game into a double-digit lead at the break. Jefferson and Christmas each had five points apiece in the half.

After halftime, the Lancers put the game well out of reach. The team opened the half with a 27-9 run over the first nine minutes. Eight players scored, and the Lancers forced eight turnovers as the lead grew to 30 points.

Jefferson put Longwood over 100 points for the first time since 2022 with a slam in the games final minutes, and the redshirt-sophomore scored nine of his 14 after halftime to lead the second half charge.

Longwood stays home in Farmville for three more games, beginning with Maryland Eastern Shore on Thursday night, December 5, at 7 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+ with Sam Hovan and John Feinstein on the call.