Photo GalleryFARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood came out fast for the second straight game, but this time the Lancers were able to close.?Two nights after not being able to close out a tight game that was tied with under five minutes to play against Campbell, Longwood (2-13, 2-4) made the key plays down the stretch that it needed to solidify a 78-74 victory over Coastal Carolina (7-6, 1-4) Monday evening inside Willett Hall.
"After we struggled to finish against Campbell, it was great to see the ladies close this one out," said head coach
Bill Reinson.
The Lancers made eight of 10 free throws taken with less than two minutes remaining in the game to secure their second win over their past three games at Willett Hall.
Longwood had five players finish the game in double figures – the most double figure scorers the squad has had in a single game this season.
Raven Williams once again led the way, as she finished the game with 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal.
Kyndal Skersick (13) and
Deborah Headen (11) also finished in double figures.
"This was a great win over a very good team," Reinson said. "We had contributions from a ton of people. Autumn [Childress] and Micaela [Ellis] have really been practicing well and it's showing in their play.
Treasure Avery had her best game of the year, as she played with a lot of positive energy tonight."
Autumn Childress (10) and Avery (12) provided a spark off the bench for Longwood, as each player finished the night with a career-high in points and led the team in rebounds with seven apiece. As a team, Longwood's bench outscored the Chanticleers, 26-12.
"Coach Reinson told me before the game that I was going to have 20 points and 10 rebounds which was kind of a joke, but I took that to heart and played hard," Childress said.
Although, she didn't finish the night with 20 points and 10 rebounds like Reinson had predicted, Childress finished three rebounds shy of her first collegiate double-double. The freshman is becoming more comfortable and confident with the college game and has recorded three or more rebounds in five of the past six games.
"At the beginning of the season, I hadn't played much in over a year [due to injuries], so it took a few games to get used to the college pace and find my game again," Childress said. "I love the game and just have to keep learning as the season goes along."
The Lancers turned up their defense in the first half, holding Coastal Carolina to .269 (7-of-26) from the floor after the Chanticleers came into the game leading the Big South Conference with a .422 shooting percentage. From beyond the arc, Longwood's defense forced Coastal into 13 straight missed three-point field goals, before Ced Gibson hit the first trey for the Chanticleers with 7:34 remaining in the second half.
"Talking and communicating on the court helped us get to places we needed to be and we were able to get a lot of defensive stops," Avery said. "We communicated very well. The coaches really stress that we talk in practice and communicate. We just played as a team, communicated and helped people get to the right spots and that helped us get it done."
Longwood was able to hold Stephanie Isaacs in check, as she finished the night without a field goal on 0-of-8 shooting and just one point. Isaacs came into the game as the seventh leading scorer in the Big South averaging 13.7 points.
The Lancers will look to keep the momentum going, as the squad completes its longest home stand of the season with its third straight game inside Willett Hall Saturday, Jan. 10 against Radford. The opening tip is set for 2 p.m.
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