FARMVILLE, Va. – Sophomore Khalilah Ali/Suffolk logged her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds, as the Longwood University women's basketball team dropped a 79-55 decision against Savannah State University (4-5) on Sunday afternoon at Willett Hall in Farmville. The Lancers pulled within one on three occasions in the second half, including the last time at 43-42 with just over 15 minutes remaining, but the Lady Tigers used a 20-2 run to secure the lead and the victory. Sophomore Daeisha Brown/Richmond posted a team-high 17 points, while SSU's Jasmine Kirkland logged a game-high 20 points. Longwood (3-5) will continue its homestand on Wednesday, December 18 when the team hosts Eastern Kentucky University at 7 p.m.

"For the first 20 minutes, I think we played pretty well," said head coach Bill Reinson. "In the second half, we didn't compete hard enough. Savannah State did a good job of getting out in transition and we made it easier by throwing some ill-advised passes. We have a lot of work to do and we will continue to work hard."

Longwood opened the contest on an 11-4 run that was capped off by a deep three from sophomore Kyndal Skersick/Orlando, Fla. The Lady Tigers were quick to retaliate, however, scoring 12 consecutive points to take their first lead of the afternoon at 16-11 with 12:46 remaining in the first half. Sophomore Jaclyn Reagan/Crossville, Tenn. drained a three and redshirt-senior Heather Tobeck/La Porte, Texas followed with a jumper to knot the score at 16-16. The teams traded baskets and the lead, tying twice more before SSU put together an 11-2 spurt to take the lead for good at 33-24 with just over three minutes to go in the first half. Sophomore Deborah Headen/Herndon, Brown and Ali converted on three-straight possessions for Longwood, cutting the difference to one, but Kenyata Hendrix tallied the last bucket of the half to give Savannah State a 35-32 advantage at the break.

Coming out of halftime, the Lancers stayed within striking distance in the early minutes. The home squad came within one point of eliminating the SSU lead on three occasions in the first four and a half minutes of play, including for the last time at 43-42 following another three by Reagan. However, the Lady Tigers, who shots 61% (19-31) from the field in the second half, used a 20-2 run to pull ahead, 63-44, with 9:49 to go. Brown scored four in a row and Ali sunk a bucket from the paint to drop the margin to 13, but Longwood would not come any closer as SSU outscored the Lancers, 12-5, in the final minutes of play to seal the 79-55 outcome.

Skersick rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Lancers with 10 points in the decision, while Reagan added six. In addition to her team-best 17 points, Brown notched nine boards. As a team, the Lancers shot 37% (22-60) from the floor, including 6-21% (29) from beyond the arc, and 56% (5-9) from the line.

Shawanda Hanton recorded a game-high 12 rebounds in the victory for the Lady Tigers. As a whole, Savannah State shot 54% (34-63) from the field, 33% (2-6) from three-point territory and 60% (9-15) from the foul line.

Sunday's contest marked the 15th meeting ever between Longwood and Savannah State in the sport of women's basketball. The Lancers still hold a slight, 8-7 edge in the all-time series.