February 25, 2004
BOX SCORE
FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood had four players score in double-figures en route to its 79-70 victory Wednesday night over Southern Virginia in the final game at Lancer Hall this season. With the win, the Lancers improve to 16-8 overall, while the visiting Knights drop to 12-18 on the season. Head Coach Shirley Duncan’s squad will travel to South Carolina this weekend as they close out the 2004 campaign at the Converse (S.C.) Tournament in Spartanburg.
Against Southern Virginia, Longwood jumped out to an early 15-8 advantage at the 13:50 mark of the first stanza and continued to stretch the margin by as many as 11 points off the efforts of senior Ebony Smith/Palmyra (Fluvanna Co.) and junior Amber Mason/Virginia Beach (Princess Anne). The duo each registered double-figures at the intermission, scoring 10 and 12 points, respectively, while junior Marita Meldere/Rujiena, Latvia (Lynchburg Christian) fought hard on the boards, pulling down a team-best eight rebounds prior to the break.
The second half featured more of the same. The Lancers picked up right where they left off, scoring 13 unanswered points to take the decisive 53-38 lead and control of the game with 16:02 left to play. Longwood relentlessly extended its advantage during the period, going up by as many as 24 points (69-45) courtesy of junior Ashley Mason/Virginia Beach (Princess Anne) and freshman Rebecca Charles/So. Charleston, W.Va. (So. Charleston), who combined for 15 points during the scoring spree. Despite a late second half rally by the Knights, that brought the visiting squad to within nine points, the Lancers were able to fend off the attack and secure the home win.
Smith finished the contest with a season-high 17 points, including one three-pointer, while registering four assists, two steals, and five rebounds in 29 minutes played. Smith was aided by Ashley Mason who also posted a team-best 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including 5-of-7 from the foul line. She also contributed three assists and seven rebounds, while twin Amber Mason added 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting and grabbed six rebounds. Senior Erica Marcum/Charleston, W.Va. (George Washington) rounded out the Lancer offense with her double-digit night of 13 points, shooting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, while dishing out four assists and picking up four steals. Longwood shot 43.7 percent (31-71) from the field, 27.8 percent (5-18) from three-point territory, and 66.7 (12-18) at the stripe.
Carlie Wiechman led Southern Virginia with her game-high 19 points on 9-for-12 shooting, while Tania Moe and Jodi Wardwell contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively. The Knights shot 41.3 percent (26-63) from the field, 38.5 percent (10-26) from three-point land, and 66.7 (8-12) at the line.
