Xavier Cooks erupted for a 19-point double-double to lead second-place Winthrop past shorthanded Longwood men’s basketball, 82-68, Sunday afternoon at Willett Hall.

The 6-8, 185-pound sophomore filled the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, five assists, one block and a steal as the Eagles (14-6, 6-3 Big South) won their fifth straight to maintain a share of second place in the Big South standings.

Cooks hit two of Winthrop’s 10 three-pointers to help the Eagles overcome a 20-point game from Longwood sophomore Kanayo Obi-Rapu and a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double from redshirt sophomore Khris Lane.

Winthrop took advantage of a Longwood (6-15, 2-6 Big South) squad that was without injured starting forward Shaquille Johnson. Johnson suffered an ankle sprain in the Lancers’ game against Liberty last week.

“He is day-to-day, so there is no firm timeline (on his return),” said Longwood Assistant Vice President for Athletics Communications Chris Cook. “It’s just about how the ankle responds to treatment. Hopefully Wednesday, but that’s not a guarantee.”

Lotanna Nwogbo picked up two fouls on Winthrop’s first possession, the first on Jimmy Gavin as he drove to the basket and the second while fighting for position on Gavin’s second free throw.

Longwood weathered his absence briefly, hitting 5-of-6 three-pointers and getting a three-point play from Tra’Vaughn White to take a 19-9 lead immediately after Nwogbo’s departure.

After a media timeout at the 15:01 mark, however, Winthrop’s Big South-leading offense scored 11 unanswered points as part of a 24-2 run that tipped the balance for good.

Nwogbo was limited to just five minutes in the first half and picked up his third foul with eight minutes to go before halftime. He played a season-low 18 minutes and scored just seven points..

Winthrop led by as many as 21 points in the second half before the Lancers opened up an 11-2 run during a five-minute span inside the final 10 minutes of the game.

“Difficult night for us physically,” said head coach Jayson Gee. “I thought a major key to the game was when Lotanna went out early. It really redirected some things. I thought initially our guys responded to it but were just unable to sustain that high level of play you need to play with a really good team like that.”

Lane filled Nwogbo’s absence in the post, pulling in 10 rebounds for his fourth double-digit rebounding game of the season. He knocked down two three-pointers and finished as one of four double-figure scorers, joining Obi-Rapu, White who had 11 points, and Darrion Allen who added 10.

Longwood will travel to UNC Asheville on Saturday for a 2 p.m. match up.