CONWAY, S.C. –  The best defensive performance of the season combined with three double figure scorers helped the Longwood women's basketball team lead from start to finish en route to picking up a 56-48 victory over Coastal Carolina Monday night inside the HTC Center.

The Lancers picked up its second straight win – both on the road – holding the Chanticleers to .250 (15-of-60) shooting, which is the lowest mark Longwood has held a team this season. In addition, the Lancers created 20 Coastal Carolina turnovers, while scoring 20 points off those turnovers.

"To go out on the road and get two wins against two very good teams is special," said Longwood head coach Bill Reinson. "It has been fun to watch the growth of our young ladies."

Three Lancers (5-9, 2-3 Big South) scored in double figures, including a team-high 13 points from Daeisha Brown. Sophomore Micaela Ellis posted 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting, recorded three assists for the eighth time this season. Deborah Headen added 10 points, including a pair of free throws to seal the game in the final minute.

"Deborah Headen is playing as well as she has her entire career," Reinson praised. "She looks like she is having fun out there."

Ranked among the top-10 in the Big South with 2.8 assists per game, Ellis finished the night with 10 points – just two off her season high – while her three assists moves the Oak Park, Mich., native past her assist total (39) from her freshman season (37) at the midway point of the year. Along with her three assists, which led to eight Longwood points, Ellis matched her career-high with three steals.

"Micaela Ellis was rock solid tonight," Reinson said. "She played a great game."

In addition, junior college transfer Eboni Gilliam matched her career-high with 11 boards, helping keep Coastal Carolina – who came into the night 12th in the nation in offensive rebounding – off the glass. The game for Gilliam marks the ninth time this season that she has finished with at least six rebounds.

"Eboni Gilliam was a huge factor on the glass for us," Reinson said.

In a game that Longwood never trailed, the Lancers opened the contest on an 11-0 run and forced four Chanticleer turnovers in the opening five minutes. Coastal would close the margin to within four points on multiple occasions, but was never able to draw the margin closer.

After Coastal Carolina (6-8, 1-4 Big South) closed the margin to six points two minutes into the second half, the Lancers used a 17-5 run to take its largest lead of the night, 48-30, at the end of the third quarter.  Ellis spurred the run with seven of her points in that stretch, while recording an assist that led to a Deborah Headen three-pointer.

The Chanticleers used an 18-4 run of its own in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to four points with 38 seconds to play, before Brown and Headen sealed the win from the free throw line going 4-of-4 in the closing stretch.

Ced Gibson led Coastal Carolina with 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Longwood held Nicole Isaacs, who was averaging 10.9 points coming into the game, scoreless in 19 minutes of play.

Longwood returns home Saturday to host Campbell, as it looks to win its third straight. The game will follow the men's basketball game against Coastal Carolina and is set for a 5 p.m. tip.  

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