FARMVILLE, Va. — St. Mary’s College of Maryland stayed within five points of a Division I opponent for the first seven minutes Tuesday night. The rest of the game belonged to Longwood, which used its size on the glass and a deep bench to beat the Seahawks 101-45 at the Joan Perry Brock Center.
The Nov. 10 game matched the Division III Seahawks against a Big South program, and the gap showed most in rebounding. Longwood finished with a 61-20 advantage on the boards and turned it into a 28-6 edge in second-chance points, according to the St. Mary’s athletics recap.
Guard Korey Blair led St. Mary’s with eight points. He hit the Seahawks’ first basket, a 3-pointer in the opening minute after Longwood scored the first four points, and added another from beyond the arc at 13:31 of the first half. He also had a dunk early in the second half.
Sophomore Tanner Diehl’s layup and free throw pulled St. Mary’s to 16-11 with 12:58 left in the half. Longwood answered with a run and led 48-23 at the break, then outscored the Seahawks 53-22 after halftime. Chase Peterson opened the second half with a layup for St. Mary’s.
By the numbers
- Rebounds: Longwood 61, St. Mary’s 20
- Points in the paint: Longwood 48, St. Mary’s 18
- Points off turnovers: Longwood 38, St. Mary’s 4
- Second-chance points: Longwood 28, St. Mary’s 6
- Bench points: Longwood 49
- St. Mary’s shooting: 29.4% from the field, 25% from 3-point range
Seahawks leaders
Blair went 3-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range, with two rebounds and a steal. Evan Quintero and Khairi Hyde scored six points apiece, and Quintero added four rebounds and a block.
Cam Brooks came off the bench for five points, three rebounds and two steals. Tyriq Liggins had four points, a rebound and a steal, and Ben Kobil handed out a team-high three assists.
For Longwood, Jaylen Benard had 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Alphonzo Billips III scored 15 with three assists, and Ben Wesson made three 3-pointers on his way to 11 points. The Lancers assisted on 29 baskets.
Games like this one are common early in a Division III schedule. They count as exhibitions or guarantee games for many small-college programs and give players a look at a level of size and speed they will not see in conference play.
Up next
St. Mary’s returns to the court Friday, Nov. 13, on the road against Johnson & Wales University. The Seahawks opened the season at the Chatham Classic.
The St. Mary’s women are also on the road to start the year. They fell at Rutgers-Camden this week after a season-opening loss to Marymount.
