November 9, 2007

BOX SCORE

FARMVILLE, Va.-- Longwood women’s basketball fell in its season opener 70-61 to the visiting American Eagles, Friday evening at Willett Hall.  The Lancers (0-1) were led by junior Amber Sims/Lawrenceville (Brunswick Senior), who tallied a career-high 21 points, while the Eagles’ (1-0) Talicia Jackson tallied a game-high 22 points.  Longwood will return to action on Saturday, November 10, when they take on Virginia for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
    
Sims started things off with a lay-up for the early 2-0 lead.  American took a 5-2 lead on an early three-pointer by Jackson, but it was answered on the Lancers following possession as senior Keiva Small/Norfolk (Norview) hit a jumper to cut the Eagles’ lead to one point into the first media timeout.  After Jackson hit a pair of free throws to put American up eight points with 13:22 on the clock,  Small went on a six point run of her own, to cut the deficit to two points with 10:45 left in the half.  On American’s next possession Sahar Nusseibeh completed a three-point play, hitting a lay-up and following up with a foul shot to build the American lead to five, but freshman Krystal Garrison/Fredericksburg (Courtland) sunk a three on the other end to bring Longwood back within two.

In the final four minutes Longwood was able to cut the American lead to one point on two occasions, after a pair of free throws by Garrison and a lay-up by freshman Cierra Baker/Windsor, Conn. (Windsor), but went ahead in the final minute, on three consecutive buckets by Sims, to grab a 27-25 halftime lead.
    
The final twenty minutes was a battle that saw four ties and ten lead changes.  Longwood took their biggest lead of the night, after Small made a steal on the defensive end and hit a three-pointer on the other end for the 47-42 score with 10:48 to go in the game.  After an 8-0 eagle run, Sims hit back-to-back jump shots to give the lead back to the Lancers, 51-50, with 8:02 on the clock.  The Eagles however took the lead for good on their next possession on two free throws by Maggie Smith-Davidson.  Longwood kept the game close and cut the deficit to one, as Baker hit the front end of free throws with 5:56 left to put the score at 53-54.  
    
The Eagles went up 60-55 at the 3:40 mark, but Sims and sophomore Becky Fernandes/Fairfax (Bishop Ireton) brought the game back down to one, each hitting jumpers on consecutive Longwood possessions for the 59-60 score with 2:41 to go in the game.  That’s as close as the Lancers would get as American closed the game strong and outscored Longwood 10-2 in the final 2:20.
    
Sims shot 9-12 from the floor while Small and Garrison each finished with 12 points apiece.  Fernandes and Small led the Lancers on the boards, each pulling down seven rebounds.  Longwood shot 41.8% from the floor and 57.9% from free throw line.  American went 21-54 (.389) from the floor for the game and shot 85.9% from the free throw line.