November 22, 2005
BOX SCORE
FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University dropped an 80-77 women’s basketball decision to visiting Wright State this evening at Willett Hall in Farmville. The loss drops the Lancers to 1-2 overall, while the Raiders improved their record to 1-1. Longwood was led by senior forward Ashley Mason/Virginia Beach (Princess Anne) who finished with her second double-double of the year; scoring 28 points and grabbing 13 rebounds - both game-highs. The Lancers will be back in action November 25-26 when they partake in the UNC Greensboro Tournament. LU will face host UNC Greensboro on the first day of the tournament at 1:00 p.m.
With the game tied 3-3 early in the first half, the Lancers went on a 14-6 run to take control of the game. Freshman center Claire Blevins/Chantilly (Chantilly) scored two layups, Ashley Mason sank two free throws and senior forward Amber Mason/Virginia Beach (Princess Anne) chipped in eight points to help Longwood extend its lead.
Longwood kept its lead in double-digits for most of the first half. Wright State was able to cut the lead to six points 39-33 at the 4:18 mark when Whitney Lewis made a layup, but a 6-0 run by the Lancers over the final four minutes gave Longwood a 45-33 advantage at halftime.
Longwood continued to keep its lead over 10 points for the first four minutes of the second stanza until Wright State started to chip away at the lead. With the score 51-39 in favor of the Lancers, the Raiders scored 10 unanswered points over a three minute span to pull within two points of the lead. Longwood responded with an 11-0 run of its own to push its lead back to 13 points, 62-49, with 8:59 to play in the contest.
With the Lancers holding a 72-62 advantage with four minutes to play in the game, the Raiders started to mount its final comeback. A layup by Lewis and a three-pointer by Kendra Agee sliced the LU lead to 72-67 at the 2:55 mark. Ashley Mason made a layup to give Longwood some breathing room, but another layup by Lewis and a jumper by Agee sliced the Lancers lead to three at 74-71. Sophomore guard Keiva Small/Norfolk (Norview) sank one of two free throws to make it a two possession game, but Ana Marisa Perez drained a three-pointer with 1:40 to play to make it a one-point game. Senior guard Jessica Wilkerson/Roanoke (Northside) drove the floor and hit a jumper, but the Raiders responded with a jumper by Brittney Whiteside to keep LU’s lead at one, 77-76, with 39 ticks left on the clock.
Wilkerson brought the ball up under pressure and slipped, which allowed Rhea Mays of Wright State to steal the ball and score a quick layup to give the Raiders the 78-77 lead with 13 seconds left in the game. Longwood could not convert on its next possession and Wright State sank two free throws with one second on the clock to secure the 80-77 come-from-behind victory.
Besides Ashley Mason, the Lancers were led by Amber Mason who scored a career-high 21 points and added two assists and three rebounds. Longwood shot 40.6% (26-64) from the floor, including 20.0% (4-20) on three-pointers, and was 60.0% (21-35) at the charity stripe. The Lancers held the slight 40-36 edge in total rebounds.
The Raiders had five players finish in double-digits points. Agee score a team-high 19 points, Perez scored 15 and Lewis, Whiteside and Alicia Avery all chipped in 12 points a piece. Wright State shot 55.6% (30-54) from the floor, including 28.6% (4-14) on three-pointers, and 66.7% (16-24) from the line.
