FARMVILLE, Va. – Valparaiso junior guard Meredith Hamlet scored 16 of her 25 points in the second half, and Dani Franklin added 11 in the fourth quarter to help the visiting Crusaders hold off Longwood 81-68 Sunday afternoon inside Willett Hall.
Franklin and Hamlet combined to score 15 of the Crusaders' (3-3) last 17 points in the final six minutes to stifle a Longwood rally that saw the Lancers (1-5) trim an 11-point halftime deficit to three with under four minutes to play. That late-game surge from Franklin and Hamlet was enough to overcome a team-high 19 points from Longwood sophomore Khaila Hall, the fourth double-double of the year from senior Autumn Childress and a 14-point, five-assist effort from senior Micaela Ellis.
Hall and Ellis engineered Longwood's late rally, combining for 16 points during a 19-11 run that cut Valparaiso's 57-46 lead to 68-65 with 3:57 left in the game. Those two scored eight points apiece during the run, but the Crusaders regained momentum thanks to back-to-back layups from Meredith Hamlet to extend the lead back to two possessions. Those two buckets sparked a game-ending 13-3 run from the Crusaders, who hit their final three shots from the floor and took advantage of Longwood's forced fouls by hitting 7-of-9 shots from the line.
Valparaiso's late free throw shooting offset Longwood's season-best performance from three-point range, as the Lancers knocked down 11-of-27 shots from long range. Ellis and Hall both went 4-of-7 from long range, but the Crusaders countered with an offense led by Hamlet, who went 7-of-11 from the field and 9-of-12 from the free throw line.
Hall, the Cleveland, N.C., product, scored 15 of her team-high 19 points in the second half, as she finished two points shy of matching her career-high of 21 points while finishing the game 7-of-13 from the floor, adding three steals, two assists and a block in 22 minutes.
Childress, meanwhile, collected her Big South leading fourth double-double of the season in finishing with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Childress, who is the lone Big South player averaging a double-double this season with 12.0 points and 10.7 rebounds, became the first player in Longwood's Division I era to secure a three double-doubles in in a four-game span.
"The coaches told me that one of my jobs is to be a rebounder," Childress said. "I've really taken that to heart to go out there and do whatever I can to help the team be successful."
After averaging 4.1 rebounds over her first three seasons as a Lancer, Childress has been active on the boards in securing 10.7 rebounds per game to lead the Big South. Saturday's game is the latest in a dominant display on the glass for the 5-10 guard from Midlothian, Va., as she's brought down 14-plus rebounds in three of six games.
Longwood will have a full week off with final exams before traveling to play Wagner Sunday, Dec. 10. That game is set for a 1 p.m. opening tip in Staten Island, N.Y.
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