January 2, 2011

Box Score

MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Longwood University women's basketball team dropped an 82-79 decision at Morehead State University of the Ohio Valley Conference on Sunday afternoon in Morehead, Kentucky. The Lancers (3-9) trailed by 15 points at halftime and 21 points with 15:52 remaining in the game before outscoring the Eagles (10-4) 34-14 over the next 15 minutes to pull within one with 55 seconds remaining. Longwood was led by junior Mina Jovanovic | Smederevska Palanka, Serbia (Salt Lake CC) and sophomore Erin Neal | Durham (Hillside) with 13 points each while the Eagles were paced by Courtney Lumpkin with a game-high 22 points. The 13 points was a career-high for Neal. The Lancers return to action on Sunday, January 9, when they travel to Ithaca, New York, to take Cornell University of the Ivy League at 2 p.m..

Morehead State jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the first 2:54. A layup by Jovanovic cut the lead to four with 15:09 remaining in the half, but the hosts went on a quick 10-0 run to lead 20-6 with 13:21 remaining. MSU pushed the lead to 19 after a three-pointer by Chynna Bozeman with 6:18 remaining. Longwood cut the lead to 13 after a pair of free throws by Jovanovic with 2:12 remaining. MSU pushed the lead to 18 on a layup by Lumpkin but Neal drained a three-pointer with two seconds remaining to make the halftime score 50-35.

The Eagles continued to build their lead, pushing the advantage to 21 at 66-45 with 15:52 remaining. Neither team scored for almost three minutes before a layup by Jovanovic cut the lead to 19. Sophomore Heather Tobeck | La Porte, Texas (La Porte) scored the next four points for the Lancers, two from the free throw line, then Neal and sophomore Chelsea Coward | Mechanicsville (Hanover) scored back-to-back baskets to cut the lead to 14. Tobeck made a three-pointer to cut the lead to 10 at 74-64 with 5:57 remaining. The Lancers trailed 78-70 with 2:37 remaining when MSU's Channing Hillman was called for an intentional foul for a blow the face of junior Brittany Jones | Richmond (North Florida). The hit knocked Jones' contact lens out and forced her out of the game. Junior Brittanni Billups | Goldsboro, N.C. (Eastern Wayne) replaced her off the bench and drained the two free throws, but the Lancers missed a pair of shots on the ensuing possession to trail by six at 78-72. Senior Krystal Garrison | Fredericksburg (Courtland) hit a jumper to cut the lead to four with 1:56 remaining. Lumpkin hit a pair of free throws to push the lead back to six, but Jovanovic followed with a jumper to trim the lead back to four with 1:30 remaining. Garrison added another layup and Jovanovic made the second of two free throws to trim the lead to one at 80-79. The Lancers could not get over the hump and the Eagles went 2-for-5 from the line over the final 48 seconds to win 82-79.

Longwood shot 46.2% from the floor, including 22.2% from behind the arc, and 77.3% from the foul line. Jovanovic and Neal scored 13 points each while Tobeck added a season-high 11 points. Jovanovic added a career-best six steals. Junior Emma Zieverink | West Chester, Ohio (Lakota West) added a season-high nine points, eight in the first half, and Garrison scored nine points. The Lancers scored 44 points in the paint and received 37 points from the bench. Longwood turned 19 MSU turnovers in to 18 points.

Morehead State shot 45% from the floor, including 34.6% from behind the arc, and 61.3% from the foul line. Lumpkin scored a game-high 22 points while Ashar Harris added 20 points and 18 rebounds. The Eagles turned 22 Longwood turnovers in to 23 points.