SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Sophomore guard Raven Williams/Richmond logged a career- and game-high 20 points to pace the Longwood University women's basketball team in a 63-46 setback at BIG EAST Conference member Seton Hall University (1-0) on Friday evening in South Orange, N.J. The Lancers' first 21 points in the outing all came by way of three-point play, as the squad trailed by just seven at the half. Sophomore Daeisha Brown/Richmond paced the team with 10 rebounds on the night. Longwood (0-1) returns to Farmville to square off against in-state opponent William and Mary in the squad's home opener on Monday, November 11 at 7 p.m.

"It's always disappointing to start the season with a loss," said head coach Bill Reinson. "With that said, there were a lot of players who played the first significant minutes of their careers tonight. We played well for the first 25 minutes, and playing shorthanded, I think we ran out of gas. We have to do a much better job of rebounding the basketball. Had we not let Seton Hall have so many second-chance opportunities, we would have had a legitimate opportunity to win tonight. We'll continue to work on our rebounding and come out ready to go on Monday night."

Seton Hall netted the first basket of the game, but sophomore Khalilah Ali/Suffolk and Williams hit jumpers from beyond the arc on back-to-back possessions to give the Lancers a 6-4 advantage at 16:56. Brown then drained a layup and forced a foul call before completing the three-point play to make the score 9-5 in favor of Longwood with 15:54 to go in the first. The Pirates retaliated with 10 unanswered points to pull ahead, 15-9, before Williams broke up the run with a deep three from the corner to pull Longwood within a bucket at 11:15. Sophomore Kyndal Skersick/Orlando, Fla. tallied her first jumper from beyond the arc of the season at 9:50, but SHU registered six points to take a 21-15 edge. Longwood outscored Seton Hall, 8-4, in the next four minutes, aided by five points from Skersick, to make it a two-point game once again at 25-23 with 4:39 to play in the first. However, SHU ended the period on an 11-6 swing to head into the break with a 36-29 advantage.

Coming out of halftime, Longwood outscored the Pirates, 7-5, in the first four minutes, thanks to a three-point jumper by redshirt-senior Heather Tobeck/La Porte, Texas, and field goals from Williams and Brown. SHU's Sidney Cook retaliated with a three-point play that sparked a 12-0 run, giving the Pirates a 53-36 lead with less than 12 minutes remaining. The Lancers would not stop fighting, however, following with nine consecutive points of their own, including a long-range bucket from Williams, to cut the deficit to eight at 53-45. Seton Hall outscored Longwood, 10-1, in the final six minutes to secure the 63-46 decision.

Williams tied a personal best with four three-pointers en route to her game-high 20 points. Skersick added to the offensive effort with a career-best eight points, while Ali tallied eight points and eight boards. Brown totaled five points in addition to her 10 rebounds. As a team, the Lancers shot 24% (14-58) from the floor, including 22% (8-36) from beyond the arc, and 63% (10-16) from the line.

Ka-Diedre Simmons posted a team-high 14 points. As a whole, the Pirates shot 34% (24-71) from the field, 13% (2-16) from three-point territory and 57% (13-23) from the foul line.

Friday's contest marked the first meeting ever between Longwood and Seton Hall in the sport of women's basketball.