Women's Basketball Defeats Division I High Point (N.C.) 71-66

Junior All-American Candidate Marita Meldere Posts Her 7th Double-Double Of 20 Points & 10 Rebounds

January 3, 2004

HIGH POINT, N.C. -- Junior All-America candidate Marita Meldere/Rujiena, Latvia (Lynchburg Christian) had her seventh double-double of the season with 20 points and a game-high 10 rebounds to lead Longwood University past NCAA Division I High Point (N.C.) University 71-66 in women’s college basketball Saturday in North Carolina. The Lancers won their fourth-straight game, and their sixth win in the last seven games, to improve their record to 8-5. Longwood will play again Monday, Jan. 5, hosting Queens University of Charlotte beginning at 7 p.m. in Lancer Hall.

Longwood fell behind early at High Point, trailing 11-8 with 16:58 left in the first half before a 17-8 run -- nine points from Meldere -- gave the visitors a 25-19 lead at 4:35. The Lancers extended their advantage to 37-25 at halftime as Meldere finished the half with 14 points. Longwood took its largest lead at 16 points early in the second half and still led 54-39 with 10:23 remaining on a layup from Meldere. High Point, though, would not go away and battled back to within 56-50 with 7:34 left on the clock. A pair of free throws from sophomore Ashley Mason/Virginia Beach (Princess Anne) put the lead back to eight points at 58-50 (7:07), and a three-point field goal from senior Erica Marcum/Charleston, W.Va. (George Washington) -- her only basket of the game -- maintained the margin (64-56, 3:00). The Lancers sealed the road win with 7-8 free throws over the final 1:53, including 4-4 from sophomore Jessica Wilkerson/ Roanoke (Northside).

Meldere finished 9-13 from the field and 2-4 at the free throw line while posting her 20 points and 14 rebounds. Senior Ebony Smith/Palmyra (Fluvanna Co.) added 14 points and five rebounds, while Mason finished with 11 points, and Wilkerson contributed six points on 6-6 at the line. Longwood shot 47% (25-53) from the field, including 14% (2-14) on three-pointers, and 73% (19-26) at the line. Nine of 10 players in uniform scored for the Lancers.

Junior Charlena Martin led the Panthers with a game-high 23 points, adding five assists, while sophomore Katie O’Dell added 18 points and eight rebounds, and freshman Tonya Tripp had 11 points off the bench. High Point shot 42% (25-59) from the field, including 17% (2-12) on three-pointers, and 74% (14-19) at the line.

It was Longwood’s first win over a Division I program since Jan. 8 2000, a 58-46 win over High Point in Lancer Hall.

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