Box Score

CLINTON, S.C. – Sophomore Raven Williams/Richmond scored a game-high 14 points to help the Longwood University women's basketball team hold on to earn a 46-43 victory at Big South Conference opponent Presbyterian College (2-11, 0-4) on Thursday evening. The Lancers snapped an eight-game skid with the decision, its first conference win of the season. Longwood led by as many as 17, and despite the Blue Hose battling back to make it just a one-point game in the final minutes, the Lancers were able to cling to the victory. Redshirt-senior Heather Tobeck/La Porte, Texas added to the offensive effort with eight points and a team-high five rebounds. Longwood (4-9, 1-3) will remain in South Carolina for one more contest this weekend, visiting Big South opponent Charleston Southern University on Saturday, January 4 for a 2 p.m. tilt.

"Any road win is a good win," said head coach Bill Reinson. "Playing at PC is always difficult because they're very well coached and they play extremely hard. As we continue to get healthy, I think we'll continue to improve. We did a good job of taking care of the ball, but we still have to make open shots. Raven Williams was terrific tonight and Heather Tobeck made some great defensive plays at the end of the game."

Both sides struggled to find the basket early in the game, but a layup from Tobeck and threes from sophomore Kyndal Skersick/Orlando, Fla. and freshman Brenna Robbins/Erie, Pa. gave the Lancers an 8-5 advantage with 14:54 remaining in the first half. The Blue Hose quickly cut the difference to just one, but Longwood would maintain control with a 12-7 edge, thanks to consecutive buckets from Williams and classmate Daeisha Brown/Richmond. Less than a minute later, freshman Emily Nylen/Rockford, Ill. converted on a pair of free throws before Williams beat the shot clock with fade-away three from deep in the corner, giving the Lancers a 17-10 lead at 9:32. PC made it a three-point game on two occasions, the last of which was at 19-16 with less than five minutes to play in the half, but Longwood outscored its host, 8-4, in the waning minutes to take a 27-20 margin into the break.

The Lancers started aggressively in the second half with 10 unanswered points. Sophomore Deborah Headen/Herndon knocked down back-to-back layups and Skersick hit a jumper to extend the team's lead to double-digits at 33-20 with 17:32 to go. Williams also added a pair of free throws during the stretch and Tobeck made a layup to give the Lancers their largest lead of the night, up 17 at 37-20. PC broke the silence with a 16-4 spurt of their own to close the gap to five and make it a 41-36 game with less than nine minutes to play. The Lancers added one with a free throw from Williams, but the home squad retaliated with four-straight points to pull within one possession at 44-42 at 4:48. With just 2:25 left in the outing, Karlee Taylor hit a free throw to cut the difference to one, but Brown made two of her own to give the Lancers a three-point buffer. The home squad missed its final two chances of the night, as Longwood earned the hard-fought, 46-43 decision.

Williams also logged a career-high eight assists in addition to her 14 points in the outing. Brown notched six points, while Robbins totaled five points and tied Tobeck for the team high with five boards. As a team, the Lancers shot 33% (16-48) from the floor, including 29% (5-17) from beyond the arc, and 90% (9-10) from the line.

Keyonna Allen and Karlee Taylor paced the Blue Hose with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Sherece Smith added a game-best 12 rebounds. As a whole, Presbyterian shot 30% (14-46) from the field, 14% (2-14) from three-point territory and 50% (13-26) from the foul line.

Thursday's contest marked the seventh meeting ever between Longwood and Presbyterian in the sport of women's basketball. The Lancers now lead the all-time series, 5-2.