FARMVILLE, Va. – Freshman
Kemari Jones broke out for her first career double-double, with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and senior
Kyndal Skersick scored 20 points to lead Longwood to a convincing 100-57 win over N.C. Wesleyan Saturday afternoon inside Willet Hall.
Four Lancers finished the game in double figures, as each player that played for the squad scored at least four points. Skersick led the way with a team-high 20 points. In addition,
Jones finished behind Skersick with 14 points to go along with a game-high 11 rebounds for her first career double-double.
Deborah Headen chipped in with 14 second-half points, while freshman
Ciarah Bennett finished with 11 points to go along with five assists.
The 100-point game for Longwood (2-6) is the most points scored in the
Bill Reinson era and marks the first contest the Lancers have tallied 100 points since posting a 101-83 victory over St. Andrew's during the 2002-03 season.
"Sometimes you need to be reminded how fun it is to play basketball," Reinson said. "This past week we adjusted practice a little bit and I think it really helped the energy today. Although we still have areas that need work, it was great to see the ladies having fun."
The contest for Skersick marked her first game with at least 20 points this season and the third of her career, as she finished three points shy of her career-high of 23 points. The senior and Longwood's leading scorer this season was 8-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Skersick, who has improved her shooting percentage each season she has been at Longwood, has scored in double figures in five of the past six games, while matching her career-high of six boards.
"I was able to get a lot of shots up before the game and I just tried to do whatever I had to do to help the team win," Skersick said. "This was just a solid team-effort today. Everybody was focused and contributed."
Meanwhile, Jones posted eight of her season-high 14 points and eight of her 11 rebounds in the first half of play. The coming out party for Jones came after she had averaged just 3.4 points per game to go along with 2.0 boards entering Saturday's contest. In addition, she added three assists and a steal in 23 minutes of action.
A product from Melbourne, Fla., Jones was one of five Lancers to record at least three assists in the contest, as Longwood recorded a season-best 20 assists on its 34 field goals. Bennett, a fellow rookie along with Jones, led all players with five dimes to go along with her 11 points, while
Brenna Robbins,
Micaela Ellis and
Autumn Childress matched Jones with three assists.
"For Kemari and CiCi [
Ciarah Bennett], it was great to see their performance," Skersick said. "I think that will help their confidence as we move forward and make them both more comfortable on the floor."
After the Lancers outscored the Battling Bishops 15-9 in the first quarter, the Lancers seized the momentum courtesy of a 14-2 run over the final 6:56 of the first half to take a 36-18 lead to intermission. N.C. Wesleyan closed the margin to 16 points early in the third quarter, but was not able to close the margin further due to Longwood's 36 third quarter points – the most points for the squad in one quarter this season.
N.C. Wesleyan (3-3) was led by its leading scorer on the season in Kenyata Harris, who matched Skersick with 20 points, including four made three-pointers. The junior guard also tallied five rebounds and one assist for the Battling Bishops.
For Longwood, forwards
Robbins and
Eboni Gilliam, along with Jones and Childress, helped Longwood have a 48-22 advantage in points in the paint, while dominating on the glass by a 60-42 margin. Jones was one of four players on the squad to pull down at least five rebounds.
"This team is very talented," Reinson said. "We just need to realize how good we can be if we believe in ourselves."
Up next, Longwood will travel to West Virginia Wednesday, Dec. 16, to mark the third and final game of the season the Lancers will play against a team from a power-five conference after already facing Oregon St. and Virginia earlier in the season. The game from Morgantown, W.Va., is set for 7 p.m.
#GoWood
