FARMVILLE, Va. – Behind a season-high 19 points from Longwood senior forward Eboni Gilliam and a 13-3 run over the final two minutes, 15 seconds of the first half, Longwood rang in the New Year with a 71-47 win over NAIA No. 23 Milligan Saturday afternoon inside Willett Hall.

"This was a great way to finish non-conference play," said Longwood head coach Bill Reinson. "I thought, other than the fouls, we did a very good job defensively in the second half. Offensively, we made some poor decisions, but we shot the ball well for the second game in a row."

A product of Richmond, Va., Gilliam bettered her 18-point outing in Wednesday's win over Delaware State with a 19-point performance that saw the senior finish 8-of-14 from the floor with six rebounds, two assists and a steal.  

"Eboni was very good offensively," Reinson said. "She has been shooting the ball very well."

The performance for the Longwood senior marks her third straight with 15-plus points and the sixth time in Longwood's last eight contests that she has bettered 10 points. Over the eight-game stretch, Gilliam has averaged 11.8 points per game to go along with a .439 shooting percentage to move into the top 10 in the Big South this season.

"I've been able to find an offensive rhythm over the past couple weeks and I'm trying to stay consistent," Gilliam said. "I'm trying to get into the gym as much as I can so that I can help my teammates."

Gilliam and a five block day from Longwood freshman Khaila Hall spearheaded the Lancer defensive effort that held the Buffaloes to .266 shooting to mark the first time the Lancers have held an opponent under .300 this season. Longwood (3-8) frustrated Milligan (10-6) by forcing 22 turnovers and bettering their conference-best 8.8 steals per game with 10 steals.

Coming off a career-high 15 points in Wednesday's win over Delaware State, Hall stuffed the stat sheet with a game-high six assists to go along with her five points and five blocks in 27 minutes. Her six assists led to 14 Longwood points, with Gilliam and Dayna Rouse combining for 11 of those points.

"I just tried to stay focused out there and help my team win," Hall said. "It's nice to win two in a row, so hopefully we can keep the momentum going into conference play next week."

Gilliam and Rouse, who finished with 13 on 6-of-12 shooting, were joined in double figures by Micaela Ellis, who added 10 points to go along with four assists and a steal.

"Dayna Rouse put up some good numbers, but she's capable of much more," Reinson said.

Coming into the game ranked among the top five in the Big South in assists, steals and minutes played, Ellis scored in double figures for the second consecutive game and finished with four or more assists for the fifth time this season. Together, the combination of Ellis and Hall combined for 10 of Longwood's 13 assists throughout the afternoon.

"Our two point guards played extremely well," Reinson said. "Micaela Ellis has established herself as a quality point guard. Khaila Hall has been stuffing the stat sheets for a while now. She continues to improve every game."

With the conclusion of the non-conference schedule, Longwood looks to ride the momentum from its back-to-back wins into Big South play where the Lancers open conference play Tuesday, Jan. 3 at Presbyterian. That game is set for a 7 p.m., opening tip inside the Templeton Center.

"We continue to be a work in progress, but I'm excited to start conference play," Reinson said.

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