1.14.2012

Video Highlights
Box Score

FARMVILLE, Va. - The Longwood University women's basketball team rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit to defeat the visiting New Jersey Institute of Technology 72-71 on Saturday afternoon in Willett Hall. Freshman Rianna Frazer|Baltimore (Seton Keough) hit the game-winning three-pointer as time expired to give the Lancers the victory. Junior Crystal Smith|Richmond (Meadowbrook) led Longwood with 22 points, while classmate Erin Neal|Durham, N.C. (Hillside) added 20 points. Denisa Domiterova paced the Highlanders (6-11) with 20 points. Longwood (4-16) has won two of its past three games and returns to the road to face Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne on Monday, January 16, at 7 p.m. in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Longwood trailed 11-5 with 17:00 remaining in the first half, but went on an 8-0 run to lead 13-11 with 13:42 remaining. Crystal Smith scored six points during the run. The hosts extended the lead to seven (19-12) with 12:26 left in the half. NJIT answered with a 8-0 run over the next 2:49 to lead 20-19. The teams traded baskets over the rest of the first half and Longwood led 31-30 at halftime.

The Lancers extended the lead to 33-30 with 18:57 remaining after a pair of free throws by Neal. NJIT went on a 27-6 run over the next 7:24 to lead 57-39 with 11:33 left in the game. Domiterova hit back-to-back three-pointers to end the run. The Lancers trailed 59-45 at the media timeout with 9:37 remaining. Crystal Smith hit a pair of free throws after the timeout to trim the lead to 12, then junior Chelsea Coward|Mechanicsville (Hanover) and Crystal Smith hit back-to-back jumpers to trim the lead to eight (59-51) and to cap a 10-0 Longwood run with 8:31 remaining. Rayven Johnson hit a pair of free throws with 7:36 left in the game, then Erin Neal and Coward made consecutive three-point plays to cut the lead to four (61-57) with 6:18 remaining. Coward hit a pair of foul shots with 4:17 remaining to give Longwood the 63-62 lead. Crystal Smith hit a jumper to extend the lead to 65-62, but the Highlanders went on a 5-0 run to lead 67-65 with 2:52 remaining. Freshman LeeAnn Sullivan|Fredericksburg (Stafford) drained a pair of foul shots to tie the game 67-67 with 1:12 remaining. Johnson hit a jumper to lead 69-67 with 0:41 remaining, but Neal made a pair of foul shots to tie the game at 69-69 with 0:30 left. Johnson was fouled with 0:17 left and made both foul shots to re-take the lead. The Lancers turned the ball over on the next position and Johnson was fouled by Neal near midcourt. Johnson missed the first shot in the one-and-one situation and Coward controlled the rebound with 0:07 remaining. Longwood took the ball down the court and worked the ball around the perimeter before Frazer hit a three-pointer as time expired.

Crystal Smith paced the Lancers with 22 points (9-28 FG, 1-9 3FG, 3-5 FT), seven rebounds and four assists. Neal added 20 points (6-15 FG, 8-9 FT), while Coward scored 17 points (5-15 FG, 7-10 FT). Sullivan added a career-high eight points and team-high eight rebounds. Both teams grabbed 40 rebounds, and Longwood turned 16 offensive rebounds in to 18 points. The Lancers shot 36.8% (25-68) from the floor, including 13.3% (2-15) from behind the arc, and 76.9% (20-26) from the foul line. Longwood turned the ball over a season-low 10 times.

NJIT was paced by Domiterova with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Melanie Griffin added 14 points, Johnson scored 13 points and Uju Nwankwo added 10 points and nine rebounds. The Highlanders shot 49.1% (28-57) from the floor, including 33.3% (6-18) from behind the arc, and 60% (9-15) from the foul line.