Photo Gallery (Facebook)

FARMVILLE, Va. – Senior Eboni Gilliam led a dominant effort among the Longwood post players with a double-double performance, as Longwood outscored Randolph 43-12 in the second half for a convincing 67-37 exhibition win Sunday afternoon inside Willett Hall.

A 10-0 run to begin the second half sparked by a pair of Randolph turnovers turned Longwood baskets, fueled the Lancers to a half in which the squad shot .469 from the field and forced the WildCats into 20 turnovers.

"This was a great opportunity for the young players to play in Willett Hall before the season starts," said Longwood head coach Bill Reinson. "We started slow, but we were working on a few specific things. Once we opened it up in the second half, we saw a more exciting brand of basketball."

Gilliam was dominant throughout, as the Lancers overmatched Randolph by a 34-14 margin in the paint. A product of Richmond, Va., Gilliam finished with 14 points and a game-high 11 boards, as she and sophomore Kemari Jones led an effort that saw the Longwood post players – Gilliam, Jones, Dayna Rouse and Winnie Miller – combine for 44 of Longwood's 67 points.

After a breakout 2015-16 season that saw Gilliam score 15-plus points in five of Longwood's last nine games and finish among the top 10 in the Big South in rebounding, she scored eight of her points in the second half and stuffed the stat sheet by adding three steals, an assist and a block in 28 minutes of playing time.

"It's good to start the season right," Gilliam said. "I'm a senior and we have a young team this year, so I did what I have to do to help my teammates. The young girls played well together. They all stepped up in various ways and that was great to see."

Longwood's dominant frontcourt quartet were part of a second half performance in which the Lancers turned 20 WildCat turnovers into 22 points and held Randolph to 12 second half points after heading to the half deadlocked at 25-all

In addition to Gilliam, Jones secured 12 points to go along with seven rebounds, while Winnie Miller neared a double-double with nine points, seven boards. In addition, Dayna Rouse filled the box score with nine points, five rebounds, three steals, two blocks and an assist.

The dominant performance from the Longwood frontcourt was not to be outdone by freshman Jada Russell, who scored 10 of her team-high 15 points in the second half, as she drained three treys and finished the afternoon 6-of-11 from the floor with five rebounds, two assists and three steals.

"It was great to get out there with my teammates," Russell said of her Longwood debut. "I was excited to come out here and give it all I had for my coaches and teammates."
In addition to Russell, fellow rookie Khaila Hall had a game-high eight assists, combining with Micaela Ellis for 11 of Longwood's 17 assists in the game.

Longwood's four-player freshmen class – Hall, Miller, Rouse and Russell – were part of a rotation that saw all eight of nine Longwood players to play find the scoresheet with all nine players playing at least 10 minutes.

"I think it was obvious we have a ton of potential, but it may take some time to get there," Reinson said. "Patience and hard work is going to be the key to the early season. The ladies have been working hard, so we need to continue along that path."

The exhibition win signals the end of the preseason for the Lancers, who open their season Friday, Nov. 11 at Marquette. That game is set for a 8 p.m. ET opening tip.

#GoWood