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FARMVILLE, Va. – Paced by a dominant 19 point, 15 rebound performance from senior Autumn Childress that led a barrage of five Lancers in double figures, the Longwood women's basketball team picked up its first win of the season in 84-82 fashion over UMass Lowell in the squad's 2017-18 home opener Saturday afternoon inside Willett Hall.
Childress had 13 of her 19 points in the second half to lead the charge for a Longwood (1-2) squad that saw nine of 10 players that played find the scoring column and open a 19-point advantage with less than a minute to play in the first half.
"I'll take a win anytime I can get one," said Longwood head coach
Bill Reinson. "We played really well in the first 20 minutes. Our press was effective and we were attacking the basket. We struggled at the rim, but we followed the game plan."
The 5-10 guard from Midlothian, Va., Childress finished the afternoon 6-of-14 from the field and finished with a game-high 15 boards to follow-up Tuesday's 16 point, 10 rebound performance against N.C. Central with her second straight double-double and fourth of her career.
"Autumn played very well again today," Reinson said. "She's playing the way a senior leader should play and we'll continue to need that effort from her."
Stephanie Guihon finished with 17 points for her first collegiate game in double figures, as Kristina Antonenko – coming off her massive 33-point effort Tuesday at N.C. Central -- chipped in with 12 points. Kate Spradlin and Mallory Odell also added 10 points each. Micaela Ellis also added seven points, five assists in the game.
"Stephanie Guihon was impressive today," Reinson said. "She has played extremely well for a freshman. Mallory Odell had some bright moments, as well. Getting her back to full health will definitely be a boost for us."
Guihon's scored 10 of her 17 points in the second half for her coming out party, as the Largo, Md., product finished 7-of-14 from the floor and added four rebounds along with an assist in 30 minutes on the court.
"It felt great to finally be out there and help my teammates," Guihon said. "My second game I was hampered by injury, so it was great to be out there.
The 5-6 guard's 17-point effort marked the most points by a freshman in their Willett Hall debut, bettering the 14 points totaled by current sophomore Jada Russell in last season's home opener against West Virginia Tech.
"We wanted to come down and protect our home court," Guihon said. "Even when they came down and tied it, we weren't going to back down and we did a good job of just staying with it."
The Lancers ultimately would have to hold off a furious River Hawk second half rally that eventually tied the game at 75-all with 3:20 to play. A layup from Spradlin, along with three free throws from Childress gave Longwood a quick 5-0 run to take a 80-75 lead with 40.6 seconds remaining.
Jennifer Louro had a shot to win it for the River Hawks with one second on the clock but her three-pointer clanked off the back of the iron to hand Longwood its first win of the season.
"In the second half, we continued to attack, but we were a little fatigued," Reinson said, "The press wasn't as effective and we gave up too many offensive rebounds. We'll continue to work on that aspect."
With the win, Longwood improves its record to 7-4 all-time in home openers, including a 5-2 mark in the
Bill Reinson era. In addition, the Lancers sweep the series with the River Hawks (1-3) after earning a 72-59 win a season ago in Lowell, Mass.
Lopez paced four River Hawks in double figures with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Kayla Gibbs finished with 13 points, 15 boards. Rudolph also finished with 13 points, while Oda Shackelford chipped in with 12 off the UMass Lowell bench.
Longwood will have eight days off before looking to collect its second straight win, as the Lancers host Fairleigh Dickinson as part of a doubleheader with the men's team. That game against the Knights is set for a noon start and will be broadcast on the Big South Network.
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