February 3, 2007
BOX SCORE
Farmville, Va.-- Longwood women’s basketball outscored the visiting Columbia Union Pioneers 45-13 in the second half of Saturday evening’s 65-39 win at Willett Hall. Amber Sims/Lawrenceville (Brunswick Senior) led the Lancers (7-16) recording a career-high 19 points while pulling down seven rebounds, six of which were on the offensive side. Columbia Union (1-20) was led by Jada Richardson who recorded 18 points in the loss. Longwood will return to action when they host #25 James Madison in game one of a basketball doubleheader on Tuesday, February 6, at 6 p.m..
The Lancers struggled for the opening four minutes going 0-7 from the floor into the first media timeout. Columbia Union jumped out to a 5-0 after Richardson hit a pair of free throws out of the timeout. After Lisa Brewer put in a lay-up to give the Pioneers a seven point lead, Ashleigh Hollman/Centreville (Westfield) and Sims caught the visitors in transition and Sims layed in a shot for the Longwood’s first two-points of the game with 13:09 to go in the game. On Columbia Union’s following possession Keiva Small/Norfolk (Norview) forced a turnover and Sims finished on the other end to bring the home squad back within three with 12:39 to go in the half.
Odessa Williams/Stratford, Conn. (Stratford) tied the game at seven after sinking a ten-foot jumper at the 10:54 mark. Sims continued to dominate on the offensive side of court scoring 11 of the Lancers first 18 points while pulling down four offensive boards in the opening twenty minutes. Courtney Dyer/Richmond (Monacan) hit a jumper with under twenty seconds to go in the half sending the Longwood into the break down six.
Longwood came out energized in the early going of the second half, and began to chip-away at the Pioneers’ lead opening on an 11-2 run into the first media timeout. Becky Fernandes/Fairfax (Bishop Ireton) got the Lancers going on a three point play a minute into the half. Small hit a lay-up a short time later to give the Lancers their first lead of the game, 27-26 with 17:58 on the clock. After Richardson hit a pair of free throws on the Pioneers’ next possession to give the visitors a one-point lead, Fernandes drove down the lane and put in a lay-up, drawing a foul along the way. Abbey Freese/West Liberty, Ohio (West-Liberty Salem) put the Lancers up by three and they never looked back, going up strong with four Pioneer defenders on her putting the score at 31-28 with 16:15 to go in the game.
Dyer pushed the game out of reach for the Pioneers midway through the second half, scoring five consecutive points and assisting on a Sims’ lay-up on Longwood’s next possession to give the home squad an 11 point lead. Behind their defense the Lancers closed the game on a 20-8 run, collecting 18 team steals half coming from Small, a career high for the junior.
Longwood finished the game with three players in double-digit points, Sims, Anna Steg/Fairfax (George C. Marshall) and Dyer. Steg finished with her third double-double in four games recording 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Dyer recorded 11 points
The Lancers finished the game shooting 41.3% from the game while Columbia Union shot 26.2%. Behind, Sims and Steg Longwood controlled the paint outscoring the Pioneers 42-6.
