Box Score

ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Longwood University women's basketball team led for the majority of the first half before falling, 70-49, at Big South Conference opponent Winthrop University (13-5, 7-2) on Saturday afternoon in Rock Hill, S.C. The Lancers, who were ahead by as many as eight, went into halftime trailing by just one, but Winthrop outscored the visitors, 38-18, in the second half to pull away for the win. Sophomore Kyndal Skersick/Orlando, Fla. paced Longwood (6-12, 3-6) with 10 points in the decision, while classmates Daeisha Brown/Richmond and Raven Williams/Richmond added eight apiece. Erica Williams led the Eagles with a double-double and game-high marks of 18 points and 15 rebounds. Longwood will return to action next week when the squad visits in-state and conference rival Liberty University on Thursday, January 23. Tipoff for that contest is slated for 7 p.m.

"We're having a difficult time fighting through adversity," said head coach Bill Reinson. "When we get tired, we struggle to push through. When we miss shots, we let it affect other areas of our game. We were playing pretty well and then got stuck at 38 for a long time. We had some open shots, but couldn't capitalize. Prolonged scoring droughts are killing us right now."

The Lancers won the opening tip, but after several trips up and down the court, Winthrop found the net first. Aided by a strong defensive effort that caused several Eagle miscues in the next three minutes, freshman Treasure Avery/Lincolnton, N.C. and sophomore Khalilah Ali/Suffolk combined for Longwood's first seven points of the day to give the Lancers a five-point buffer with just over 15 minutes remaining in the first half. The Eagles cut the difference back to just two before sophomore Deborah Headen/Herndon drained her first field goal of the contest and Williams added a jumper from beyond the arc to make the score 12-5 at 12:49. Longwood was unable to pull further away, though, as WU used a 12-4 run to take its first lead of the contest at 17-16 with 9:51 to play in the period.

Longwood was quick to regain the upper hand with a 10-1 spurt, including back-to-back threes from Skersick, giving the Lancers a 26-18 edge at 6:28. The teams traded baskets and Longwood led by as many as six on two occasions, for the last time at 29-23 with less than four minutes to play in the half. However, Winthrop used six-straight points to battle back and knot the score before Taylor Calvert hit a jumper with 22 seconds on the clock to give the Eagles a slight, 32-31 advantage at the half.

Williams logged the Lancers' first five points of the second half, reclaiming a 36-34 lead for her squad, but Winthrop put together a 16-2 run to pull away, 50-38, with less than 12 minutes remaining in the contest. Longwood answered with a layup from freshman Brenna Robbins/Erie, Pa. and a pair of free throws from Brown to make it 50-42 at 11:04. The Lancers would not come any closer, though, as Winthrop outscored the visitors, 20-5, in the waning minutes of the contest to seal the 70-47 outcome.

Skersick scored all 10 of her points in the first half. Headen totaled seven points in the decision, while Ali led Longwood with seven rebounds. Redshirt-sophomore Jessica Parker/Clayton, N.C. added a career-high four rebounds, as well. Redshirt-senior Heather Tobeck/La Porte, Texas tied a season-best with four blocks on the day. As a team, the Lancers shot 30% (18-61) from the floor, including 29% (5-17) from beyond the arc, and 62% (8-13) from the line in the outing.

In addition to Erica Williams, Schaquilla Nunn logged a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards. Dequesha McClanahan achieved the 2,000 career-point milestone with 14 points in the victory. As a whole, Winthrop shot 37% (24-65) from the field, and 76% (22-29) from the foul line. However, WU went 0-6 from three-point territory in the outing.

Saturday's contest marked the 12th meeting ever between Longwood and Winthrop in the sport of women's basketball. The Eagles now hold a 7-5 advantage in the all-time series.