1.11.2012

FARMVILLE, Va. – The Longwood University women's basketball team went 1-2 on a recent road trip, winning 59-48 at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, after falling at San Diego State 79-37 on January 4. The Lancers dropped the final game of the three-game road trip 64-59 at Utah Valley University on Jan. 10. The win at Air Force was the first road victory this season and snapped a nine-game losing streak. Longwood returns home on Saturday, Jan. 14, when it hosts the New Jersey Institute of Technology at 2 p.m. in Willett Hall in Farmville. It is “Take A Kid To The Game” day, and all youth 18 and under will be admitted for free.

Game Details
Opponent: NJIT
Site:  Farmville, Va.
Facility: Willett Hall
Date: January 14, 2012
Start: 2 p.m.
Live Stats
Live Video

Game Details
Opponent: IPFW
Site: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Facility: Hilliard Gates Sports Center
Date: January 16, 2012
Start: 7 p.m. ET
Live Stats
Live Video

Take A Kid To The Game Day
The women's basketball home game against the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 2 p.m. in Farmville has been named “Take A Kid To The Game” day. All youth, 18 and under, will be admitted to the game for free.

Last Week
Longwood went 1-2 on a nine-day road trip, defeating the Air Force 59-48 and falling to San Diego State 79-37 and Utah Valley 64-59. The win at Air Force snapped a nine-game losing streak and was the first road victory for the Lancers this season. Junior Crystal Smith|Richmond (Meadowbrook) averaged 15.3 points per game over the tree games, including a season-high 24 points at Air Force. Junior Mieke Elkington|Hamilton, New Zealand (Cochise College) added 8.3 points and nine rebounds per contest, including her first double-double (10p, 13r) against Utah Valley. Junior Chelsea Coward|Mechanicsville (Hanover) had her first double-double (10p, 11r) against Air Force. Longwood averaged 44.3 rebounds per game over the three games, up seven boards from the season average, and added 10.7 steals and five blocks per contest, both above the season average.

Coach Reinson On Last Week
“Playing on the road is never easy, but I think we took a step in the right direction on this trip. We played a terrific defensive game at Air Force and wound up with a win. Then, we followed it up with a pretty good performance at Utah Valley. We still must shoot the ball better, but our overall effort has improved.

“Crystal Smith and Mieke Elkington were incredible at Air Force and Utah Valley. They are learning to play together and their chemistry is getting better every day. Now that Erin Neal is back, we have three experienced guards who will battle every night.”

Longwood Leaders
Longwood is led by senior Brittanni Billups|Goldsboro, N.C. (Eastern Wayne) (9.8 points, 7.8 rebounds), junior Erin Neal|Durham, N.C. (Hillside) (9p, 2.6r, 2.3 assists) and Chelsea Coward (7.8, 5.3r). Crystal Smith (8.8p, 2.8r, 3.4a) is also a key contributor. The Lancers are shooting 32.1% from the field, including 22.2% from behind the arc, and 67.5% at the foul line while averaging  50.4 points and allowing 68.4 points. Longwood has been out-rebounded by 8.5 boards per game and averages 9.9 assists, 21.5 turnovers, 8 steals and 4.5 blocks per game.

A Look At NJIT
NJIT is 5-10 overall and has lost five-straight contests. The Highlanders are led by Rayven Johnson with 11.6 points, eight rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, while Sarah Olson has added 8.9 points and 3.1 rebounds. NJIT is shooting 34.6% from the floor, including 29.4% from behind the arc, and 68.4% from the foul line while averaging 55.3 points and allowing 63.4 points per contest. The Highlanders are being out-rebounded by 7.7 boards per contest and are averaging 10.6 assists, 16.5 turnovers, 7.8 steals and 5.7 blocks per game. Longwood is 3-2 all-time against NJIT and 2-0 in Willett Hall. The Highlanders won the last meeting 83-67 in Newark, New Jersey.

A Look At IPFW
IPFW is 6-10 overall and coming off a 59-50 victory over IUPUI on Monday, Jan. 9. The Mastodons are led by Erin Murphy (13.3 points, 3.2 rebounds), Stephanie Rosado (13.3p, 5r) and Anne Boese (12.1p, 3.3r). IPFW is shooting 37.1% from the floor, including 28.7% from behind the arc, and 77.9% from the foul line while averaging 61.4 points and allowing 70 points per contest. Longwood is 4-1 all-time against the Mastodons, including 2-0 in Fort Wayne. IPFW won last year's contest 78-62 in Farmville.

Coach Reinson On The Upcoming Week
“We have a home game against NJIT this Saturday. They are a very good, young team, that has been playing better than their record. We play very well at home, so I'm looking forward to a good effort from the ladies.

“Then, it is back on the road for one game at IPFW. They beat us at our place last season and have continued to play well.”

Head Coach Bill Reinson
Bill Reinson is in his 10th year at Longwood University during 2011-12, his first as women's basketball head coach, being named to the position on April 12, 2011 after serving as the interim coach since December 6, 2010 (6-17). He previously served as a Longwood men's basketball assistant coach from 2002-10 and served two seasons (2000-02) as an assistant men's coach at Southern Conference member UNC Greensboro. Additionally, Reinson served as an assistant women's coach with the Lancers for the final 13 games of 2002-03 (27-5) under long-time head coach Shirley Duncan during the final year of Division II eligibility. LU was 11-2 in those games while winning the CVAC Tournament and advancing to the second-round of the NCAA East Regional. He defeated Wright State 74-70 in his first game as interim head coach.

In Willett Hall
Longwood is 2-2 at Willett Hall during 2011-12 and 15-14 dating back to the 2009-10 season. The Lancers went 7-5 at home during 2009-10 and 6-7 during 2010-11.

Road Woes
Longwood plays 21 games away from home during 2011-12, including seven-straight contests away from Willett Hall in December. The Lancers also have two four-game road stretches. Unfortunately, Longwood is 1-14 away from home this season, including 1-12 in true road games. The Lancers are 7-50 in true road games over the last four season, including 1-14 last season, 2-13 during 2009-10 and 3-11 during 2008-09.

Team Effort
Longwood picked up its first road victory of the season at Air Force 59-48. The win also snapped a nine-game losing streak. Four players scored in double-figures for the first time since Nov. 13 vs. Cornell, led by Crystal Smith with a season-high 24 points. Chelsea Coward added a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Lancers recorded a season-high 17 steals.

Starters Scoring
Longwood's starters scored 34 of the Lancers' 37 points at San Diego State (91.9%). Against Appalachian State, starters scored 48 of the team's 54 points (88.9%). At Georgetown, starters scored 43 of the Lancers' 45 points (95.6%). The starting lineup is averaging 36.6 points per game, or 74.3% of the team's total points.

Get Out Of Here
Heather Tobeck recorded three blocks at Notre Dame to break the previous Longwood career record of 107, held by Sandy Rawdon (1985-89). She currently has 118 blocks. Brittanni Billups is tied for second on the all-time list with 107 blocked shots.

Eyes On The Program
Longwood played in front of a sellout crowd of 9,149 at Notre Dame, the largest crowd to ever see a Longwood women's basketball game. It was only the second game this season played in front of over 1,000 people. At Marshall, 3,413 people came out to the matinee game, most of them elementary school students.

Doubling Up
Brittanni Billups has recorded four double-doubles this season, including two-straight against Central Michigan (12p, 18r) and Southeast Missouri State (10p, 12r). She also has double-doubles against High Point (10p, 10r) and Radford (15p, 10r). She has 12 double-doubles in her four-year career, including a career-best five as a junior during 2010-11. Chelsea Coward recorded her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds at Air Force.

Scoring Machine
Erin Neal is averaging nine points per game during 2011-12, up from 3.0 points per game as a freshman and sophomore. She has scored in double-figures eight times this season, despite missing five games due to injury. Neal scored a career-high 15 points against Central Michigan.

Multi-Talented
Three members of the women's basketball team pull double-duty at Longwood. Freshman Megan Baltzell and senior Courtney Long are both members of the softball team, while senior Kacie Oliver recently completed her four-year career with the women's soccer team. Long is a three-year starter at first base, while Baltzell is expected to see playing time behind the plate for the Lancers. Oliver finished her career with 12 goals and seven assists for 31 points, including six goals and one assist during her senior campaign.

Short Bench
Five Longwood players have averaged more than 25 minutes per game so far this season, led by Crystal Smith with 30 minutes. Chelsea Coward (29.3), Brittanni Billups (27.8) and Mieke Elkington (27.1) have also contributed significant playing time. Mina Jovanovic was averaging 29.1 minutes before suffering an injury against Wright State. Erin Neal (24.6), Morgan Smith (17.6), Heather Tobeck (17.3), Rianna Frazer (13.9) and Megan Baltzell (11.3) are the only other players averaging more than 10 minutes per game. Last season, 12 players averaged 11+ minutes, with only two averaging 24 minutes.

Schedule Overview
Longwood plays 30 games during 2011-12, including nine home games and 19 true road matchups. The Lancers also play a pair of neutral-site games at the Wright State Invitational. Longwood faces opponents from 15 different conferences, including three Big East games and two Atlantic Coast Conference matchups. The Lancers will travel to 13 states, playing 10 games in Virginia.

Nationwide Travelers
Longwood will play in 12 different states in addition to Washington, D.C., during 2011-12, including 10 games in Virginia, four in North Carolina and Ohio, and two in Indiana and Kentucky. The Lancers will play one game in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Utah, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.

On The Road Again
Longwood will travel 15,176 miles during 2011-12, including 8,056 miles by airplane and 7,120 by bus. The Lancers will fly to Miami and Notre Dame, as well as San Diego State, Air Force and Utah Valley. Longwood has three bus trips longer than 1,000 miles, including a 1,400 mile trip to Murray State and Eastern Kentucky.

Next Up...
The Lancers return home to face Ivy League member Dartmouth on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 2 p.m. in Willett Hall in Farmville.