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Plenty of grit and no quit. It’s been a defining characteristic of the best teams under Longwood Head Coach Griff Aldrich. A shorthanded Longwood team (16-10, 5-6) had the requisite grit to pull back in the game against High Point on Thursday night, but the Panthers (22-5, 10-2) had the depth to fend off the feisty Lancers 83-72.

The Lancers were missing multiple rotation players. Then Colby Garland, who had 10 points in the first half, exited with yet another injury at the end of the first half, when High Point led by 15 thanks to a host of offensive rebounds that led to second chance points.

But Longwood refused to quit. Kyrell Luc poured in 20 points and five steals and epitomized the team’s gritty second-half response. He was fearless in his forays to the basket, and the team fed off his energy and five steals. Elijah Tucker added 14 points, and Angelo Brizzi pitched in 13 points.

The Lancers kept trimming the lead, but High Point had an answer every time Longwood pulled within seven points. Kezza Giffa, the Preseason Player of the Year, hit an array of tough shots en route to 18 points, and Kimani Hamilton matched him with 18 points, including a dagger three to beat the shot clock inside four minutes to play.

D’Maurian Williams added 15 points on a steady diet of shots in traffic that also were at the end of the shot clock. That was just enough to keep the hard-charging Lancers from leveling the score as the second half wound down.

Up next for Longwood

The Lancers return to the court on Saturday when they host Presbyterian. The game will begin at 6 p.m., and it will air on ESPN+ with Sam Hovan and John Feinstein on the call. The game will be presented by The Bank of Charlotte County.