November 25, 2005
BOX SCOREGREENSBORO, N.C. – Longwood University earned a 69-66 women’s basketball victory over host UNC Greensboro in the UNC Greensboro Thanksgiving Tournament this afternoon at the Fleming Gymnasium. The win improves the Lancers record to 2-2, while the Spartans dropped to 0-2 overall. LU was led by senior guard Jessica Wilkerson/Roanoke (Northside) who scored a team-high 16 points, while adding two assists and two rebounds. The Lancers will play in the championship game tomorrow, November 26 against East Carolina at 3:00 p.m.
It was a slow moving first half as the Spartans held just a slight 6-4 lead seven minutes into the contest. UNC Greensboro was able to push its lead to five, 11-6, after two made free throws by Kemena Brooks with 8:50 remaining in the first half.
The Lancers went on an 8-2 run to take a slight one-point lead at 14-13 with just over six minutes to play in the first stanza. Wilkerson hit a jumper and a three-pointer, while sophomore forward Leigh Mascherin/Greensboro, N.C. (Ragsdale) drained a three-pointer of her own to help Longwood take the lead.
UNC Greensboro regained the lead and took a 22-17 advantage after Gini Grimsley sank two free throws. The Lancers responded with a three-pointer by freshman guard Courtney Dyer/Richmond (Monacan), back-to-back layups by sophomore guard Keiva Small/Norfolk (Norview) and a layup by freshman forward Amber Sims/Lawrenceville (Brunswick Senior) to take a four-point lead, 26-22, with 1:19 to play in the half.
The Lancers held onto the lead and went into the locker room with a 31-28 advantage.
Longwood quickly built a seven-point lead early in the second half after back-to-back layups by senior forward Ashley Mason/Virginia Beach (Princess Anne), but an 18-9 run by UNC Greensboro over the next nine minutes helped the visiting Spartans gain a 46-44 lead with 9:51 to play in the game.
The Lancers responded, scoring 13 out of the next 15 points to hold its largest lead of the game at 57-44 with less than four minutes remaining.
With the score 64-57, the Spartans started to put a scare into Longwood. Brittany Frazier hit a jumper, while Grimsley drained a three-pointer to put LU’s lead at two, 64-62, with 46 seconds left on the clock. Two free throws by Wilkerson gave the Lancers some breathing room, but the Spartans responded with two free throws of their own to keep LU’s lead at two with 18 seconds left in the game.
Wilkerson again was fouled and made one-of-two free throws to give LU a 67-64 lead. KaLeah Latham of UNC Greensboro made a layup to cut the lead to one, but Wilkerson calmly hit two more free throws with less than a second left on the clock to help secure the three-point victory.
Besides Wilkerson, the Lancers were led by Ashley Mason who registered her third double-double of the season. She finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while adding three assists and two steals. Longwood shot 41.4% (24-58) from the field, including 27.6% (8-29) on three-pointers, and was 72.2% (13-18) at the free throw line.
UNC Greensboro was led by Latham who scored a game-high 18 points, while adding six rebounds and one steal. Grimsley added 15 points, while Frazier had a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Spartans shot 35.5% (22-62) from the field, including 11.1% (1-9) on three-pointers, and was 80.8% (21-26) from the charity stripe.
