December 4, 2008

BOX SCORE

FARMVILLE, Va. - The Longwood University women's basketball team defeated Colonial Athletic Association member George Mason 52-42 on Thursday night in Willett Hall. The Lancers improved to 3-4 on the season, while the Patriots are still looking for their first win of the season after falling to 0-7. Freshman Brooke Long/Richmond (Mills E. Godwin) had a career night, scoring a season-high  and game-high 17 points, while shooting 8-10 from the free-throw line. Senior Anna Steg/Vienna (George C. Marshall) pulled down a game-high eight rebounds for the Lancers. The Lancers get a bit of a break before hitting the road for the North Florida Holiday Classic in Jacksonville, Fla. on December 17-18. Longwood will face Jacksonville State on December 17 at 5 p.m., before taking on host North Florida on December 18 at 7 p.m.

The game got off to a slow start for both sides with the score being deadlocked at 13-13 with four minutes remaining in the first half. The score would flip-flop eight times in the first half, with George Mason able to earn a one point advantage heading into the locker room score.
    
Junior Becky Fernandes/Fort Belvoir (Bishop Ireton) got things started for the Lancers in the second half, putting her team up by one just seconds into the half with a layup. The Patriots would fight their way back into the game with 14:15 to play,  regaining the lead and keeping the Lancers from countering until the final eight minutes of the game. Long put her team on top of the Patriots after collecting a defensive rebound and pulling up just outside the shooting arc, givng the Lancers a one point advantage. The game would be the Lancers the rest of the way, with the team piling on the points, ending with a 10-point lead at the final buzzer.
  
Long ended with a game-high 17 points for the Lancers, while Brittney Wilkins was the Patriots' leading scorer with 10. Steg ended the game eight rebounds, while Fernandes and Cierra Baker/Windsor, Conn. (Windsor) each had six. Brittany Poindexter, Egenia Broadus and Wilkins each had six rebounds for George Mason
   
As a team, Longwood st 32% (14-44) from the floor, while shooting 68% (21-31) from the free-throw line. George Mason shot 27% (15-56) from field goal range and 56% (9-16) from the free-throw line.