Tournament Central

CONWAY, S.C. – The No. 7 seed Longwood University women's basketball team will square off against No. 2 Winthrop University in the quarterfinals of the 2013 VisitMyrtleBeach.com Women's Basketball Championship on Friday, March 8. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Coastal Carolina University's HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina. The Lancers (12-18) defeated No. 10 Charleston Southern University in a first-round game on March 6 to advance to the quarterfinals, while Winthrop, who finished the regular season with a 20-10 overall record and a 14-4 mark in conference action, earned a first-round bye. A live video stream of the game will be available on the Big South Network. Fans can also tune into WVHL Radio, Kickin' Country 92.9 FM, or online at wvhl.net, to hear all of the action.

Looking at Longwood
Through 30 games, senior Crystal Smith/Richmond paces the squad with 15.0 points per game. Classmate Chelsea Coward/Mechanicsville is second on the team with 14.6 points per game. Coward leads the team with 8.1 rebounds per game, as well. Freshman Daeisha Brown/Richmond rounds out the double-digit scorers for LU with 12.6 points. As a whole, Longwood is shooting 36% (666-1835) from the field, including 29% (189-661) from three-point territory, and 68% (409-598) from the free throw line.

Scouting Winthrop
The Eagles are in the midst of a five-game win streak, including a 100-56 decision against UNC Asheville in their most recent outing on March 2, to improve to 20-10 overall and 14-4 in the Big South. WU, under the direction of first-year head coach Kevin Cook, is paced by junior Dequesha McClanahan with an average of 19.8 points. Senior Diana Choibekova and freshman Aliyah Kilpatrick have added to the offensive effort with 14.6 and 10.2 points, respectively. Freshman Schaquilla Nunn leads the team with 10.0 rebounds per game. As a squad, the Eagles are shooting 40% (759-1907) from the floor, 34% (191-561) from beyond the arc and 72% (377-523) from the line.

Series History
Winthrop leads the all-time series against Longwood, 6-4. The squads first met during the 1977-78 season, when Longwood earned a 64-62 decision. The Lancers and the Eagles split the regular-season series this year, as each team earned a victory on its home court. On January 5, LU took the lead for good with just over a minute left in the second half to defeat the visitors, 79-74, in a game that saw 11 tied scores at Willett Hall. However, in their most recent meeting in Rock Hill, S.C. on February 21, Winthrop picked up a decisive 78-46 victory.

Right Place, Right Time to Step Up
Senior Erin Neal/Durham, N.C. came into the tournament averaging 7.2 point per game, but carried the Lancers to victory in their first-round game. The co-captain logged a career-high three, three-point field goals en route to a personal-best 22 points to pace Longwood in the win.

Milestone Victory
With the 70-63 decision against Charleston Southern, Longwood picked up its first-ever Big South Conference Tournament win. The game marked the squad's first postseason appearance in its Division I era.

Comeback Kids
The Lancers have a knack for making things interesting this season, mounting several second-half comebacks. The team has trailed at halftime in eight of the 12 games that it has won so far this year, including its first-round tournament game on March 6. And of the eight games that the squad has come back to win, Longwood faced a double-digit, first-half deficit in four of them (Air Force – down by 12, Gardner-Webb – down by 18, Campbell – down by 11, Coastal – down by 17).

Under Control
As a team, Longwood has exhibited more ball control since beginning conference play. The squad set a season best with just seven turnovers against Gardner-Webb on Jan. 3. Longwood averaged 13.8 turnovers per game in conference games this season, compared to an average of 15.8 turnovers against all opponents. The team is currently first in the conference with a +3.60 turnover margin.