For the first time in school history, the Langston Lions men’s basketball team is moving on to the Elite Eight in the NAIA Basketball Tournament.
Langston secured a spot in the Regional Final following a 78-61 win over LSU Shreveport. The win is the 14th straight for the Lions, dating back to February 3.
Anthony Roy paced Langston, scoring a game-high 17 points, connecting on three three-pointers. D’Monte Brown, the Lions led the second unit, scoring 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field.
G’Quavious Lennox scored 14 points, hitting two three-pointers, while Toru Dean chipped in 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Survive and Advance … 🦁🔥
A. Roy – 17 pts
D. Brown – 16 pts
G. Lennox – 14 pts
T. Dean – 13 pts
C. Mosley – 10 pts #goLions X #WeRoar pic.twitter.com/XqrHCAqU1M— Langston Athletics (@LangstonSports) March 22, 2024
The turning point in the game came in the first half when LSU Shreveport went on a 7-0 run to take a 19-14 lead. Langston responded by ending the half on a 24-9 run, taking a nine-point lead into the second half.
The Lions never let up, leading for the entire second half, peaking with a 20-point advantage, on their way to victory.
This is the second time in the past three seasons a team coached by Chris Wright has made it to the Elite Eight. The last time he did it, he led the Talladega Tornadoes to the 2022 NAIA Championship game.
Overall, this is the third year in a row an HBCU has advanced to the Elite Eight in the NAIA Men’s Basketball tournament along with Tougaloo in last year’s tournament.
Langston will look to clinch a spot in the Final Four when they face the winner of the Sweet 16 matchup between two-seed Indiana Wesleyan and three-seed Arizona Christian.
