FARMVILLE, Va. (Interstat) — Alphonzo Billups scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and the Longwood Lancers outlasted the South Carolina Upstate Spartans 82-75 in overtime in a Big South Conference men’s basketball game Saturday afternoon at a raucous Willett Hall.

In a game defined by dramatic momentum swings and crucial defensive stands, Longwood secured a pivotal victory to even its overall record at 14-14 and improve to 9-6 in conference play. South Carolina Upstate fell to 11-16 overall and 6-9 in the Big South.

The contest was a tense rematch of a Jan. 29 meeting won by the Spartans 65-60, and this chapter required an extra five minutes to decide. The game appeared to be slipping from Longwood’s grasp late in regulation. Trailing 69-66, the Spartans’ Karmani Gregory was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 39 seconds left. The guard from Palmetto, Florida, calmly sank all three free throws to knot the score at 69.

Longwood had a chance to win in the final seconds of regulation, but a frantic sequence ended with Jacoi Hutchinson’s layup attempt rolling off the rim as time expired, sending the game to overtime before an energized crowd of 2,173.

The Lancers, who had been installed as 5.5-point favorites, dominated the extra period. They opened overtime on a 7-0 run, keyed by a 3-pointer from Billups and two free throws from Jaylen Benard. The Spartans, who managed only six points in overtime, went scoreless for the first three minutes of the period and never recovered.

Billups, a 6-foot-7 sophomore from Richmond, Virginia, was the catalyst throughout for Longwood. He played 37 minutes, adding three assists and a block to his game-high scoring effort. His performance was a bounce-back after being limited to just nine minutes in a loss at Winthrop earlier in the week.

Elijah Tucker provided a crucial double-double for the Lancers with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Benard added nine points and four assists. Longwood’s defense was the foundation of the win, forcing 18 Spartan turnovers and converting them into 26 points, a decisive 16-point advantage in that category.

South Carolina Upstate was led by a balanced attack. Mason Bendinger, a 6-foot-4 guard from Salt Lake City, finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. Gregory led the Spartans with 23 points, and Carmelo Adkins of Lubbock, Texas, filled the stat sheet with 13 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in a game-high 43 minutes.

The Spartans’ interior defense was formidable early, anchored by Jafeth Martinez. The 6-foot-9 freshman from Roatan, Honduras, blocked four shots in just 20 minutes of action, altering countless others.

The game’s flow was a story of two halves. South Carolina Upstate controlled the paint early, building a 38-30 advantage there for the game, and led 28-21 late in the first half. Longwood closed the period on a 10-2 run, capped by a transition dunk from Emanuel Richards, to take a 31-30 lead into halftime.

The second half was a back-and-forth affair featuring 10 lead changes. The Spartans seemed to seize control with a 7-0 run midway through the period, taking a 52-49 lead on a Carmelo Adkins 3-pointer. Longwood responded immediately with a 9-2 spurt, fueled by five points from Billups, to retake the lead and set the stage for the dramatic finish.

The victory keeps Longwood in the thick of the conference standings as the regular season enters its final weeks. The Lancers, who surpassed the pregame over/under line of 143.5 with the teams combining for 157 points, next travel to face Presbyterian on Thursday.

South Carolina Upstate, which has now played in three overtime games in its last six contests, will look to regroup on the road at Winthrop on Thursday.