Dominant Performance in 78-54 Victory Over Longwood

Tuesday, December 22

Hanover, N.H.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

4-6

Longwood

3-10

Longwood

Dartmouth

Dominant Performance in 78-54 Victory Over Longwood

12/22/2015 8:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. — Dartmouth raced out to an 11-0 lead and led by double digits for over 34 minutes throughout the game as the Big Green cruised to a 78-54 victory over visiting Longwood on Tuesday night at Leede Arena. Freshman Evan Boudreaux and sophomore Miles Wright both finished one rebound shy of a double-double to lead Dartmouth (4-6) to its largest victory over a Division I opponent in two years and snap a three-game skid. Longwood (3-10) got 17 points and 11 rebounds from Lotanna Nwogbo in a losing cause.

Up and down the lineup, the Big Green players enjoyed a solid shooting night, combining for a season-high 51 percent accuracy (26-of-51) from the floor (64 percent in the second stanza), including 7-of-16 (.438) from long range. Boudreaux hit 4-of-8 field goals with a triple and went 8-for-10 from the foul line for his team-high 17 points, while Wright also was 4-of-8 from the floor, but with two three-pointers to go with five free throws in six attempts for 15 points.

Senior Connor Boehm and freshman Guilien Smith, the latter making his first career start, joined the duo in double figures with 11 points apiece.

The Big Green scored on each of their first four possessions with three-pointers by Boehm, Boudreaux and Wright, while Longwood had two missed shots and three turnovers by the time the first media timeout arrived, falling behind 11-0.

The Lancers finally got on the board when Tra'Vaughn Wright, who had missed the previous seven games with a hand injury, knocked down a jumper. But Dartmouth did not let up, pushing its lead to 13 when senior Brandon McDonnell, who added seven points in eight minutes off the bench, knocked down a fadeaway 11-footer in the lane, and Wright hit the first of two free throws for an 18-5 advantage.

With six and a half minutes left in the opening half, Nwogbo sank a pair of foul shots to close the gap to eight at 24-16, but it took just a few seconds for Dartmouth to boost its lead back into double digits for good with two Boudreaux free throws. A Boudreaux layup and three more free throws gave him seven straight Big Green points before Wright canned two freebies to close out the half with Dartmouth on top, 33-18.

Neither team was terribly accurate shooting the ball in the first half with both under 40 percent. But the Big Green converted 10 Lancer turnovers into 12 points and also got eight second-chance points to help maintain control of the game.

It took Dartmouth barely three minutes to boost its lead to 20 thanks to a Boehm 15-footer on the baseline, a Smith three-pointer and two Wright foul shots. Longwood's Shaquille Johnson, who finished with 11 points, tried to rally his squad by connecting on consecutive three-pointers, but the Big Green answered each one with mid-range jumpers by junior Mike Fleming and Wright.

McDonnell got the lead back to 20 at 50-30 with a breakaway dunk, but Nwogbo responded with a one-hand flush while getting fouled. His subsequent free throw and short jumper in the paint the next time down the floor brought the Lancers within 15, only to see McDonnell swish one from deep to keep Longwood at bay.

Back-to-back field goals by Boudreaux pumped the Dartmouth advantage up to 22 at 62-40 with under eight minutes to play, and any chance of a miraculous comeback was put to rest when Wright drove for a layup and drilled a three-pointer to make it a 71-49 game with 3:39 on the clock. Senior Malik Gill scored the final seven Big Green points on a three-pointer sandwiched between four free throws, finishing the game with a season-high nine points.

Dartmouth won just about every battle in the game — on the boards (36-26), assists (16-11) and turnovers (14-15), not to mention free throw accuracy (19-of-27, .704 for the Green, 15-of-25, .600 for the Lancers).

Dartmouth has nine days until its next game, a New Year's Eve showdown with Bryant to complete the two-game holiday homestand. The opening tip is slated for 2 p.m. with the game streamed live via Big Green Insider on the Ivy League Digital Network. Longwood returns to action on Dec. 28 when it hosts Cairn to start a three-game homestand at 7 p.m.

Notes: The last time Dartmouth won a game by at least 24 against a Division I team was on Dec. 14, 2013 in a 76-46 triumph over Jacksonville State ... Wright is averaging 21.3 points in four home games this year ... all four of the Big Green's victories this year have come when they have scored at least 70 points ... Fleming, like Smith, made his first career start.