ROCK HILL, S.C. – A combined 39 points from Winthrop forwards Jah'che Whitfield and Kem Nwabudu erased the first double-double performance of the season from Longwood junior Dayna Rouse to lead the Eagles past the Longwood women's basketball team 77-69 in the Big South opener for both teams Saturday afternoon inside the Winthrop Coliseum.

Nwabudu scored 12 of her game-high 20 points in the second half with a 7-of-12 performance from the floor while Whitfield made 8-of-12 to finish with 19 points. That duo combined for nine of the Eagles final 13 points after Longwood sliced into a 13-point deficit, cutting the Winthrop lead to one point, 63-62, with 2:15 remaining.

Miquela Santoro was the third Eagle to finish in double figures with 10 points, along with four assists, as Winthrop overcame the first double-double of the season from Dayna Rouse, who finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds. Mallory Odell nearly matched Rouse's with a double-double performance, scoring a team-high 17 points and collecting eight boards. Stephanie Guihon finished in double figures for the second consecutive game, finishing with 15-plus points for the second time on the season while Ciarah Bennett was the fourth Lancer to finish in double figures with 10 points, along with three rebounds and two assists.

Longwood (1-10, 0-1 Big South) falls in Tillett's introduction to the Big South, as the Lancers suffer their sixth consecutive loss in the opening game of the conference slate. Meanwhile, the Eagles (5-7, 1-0 Big South) win their first Big South opener since a 61-59 win against Campbell in the 2014-15 season.  

"In the past, it's been a challenge for us to go on the road to get a win. It's been a long time since the Longwood women have won the Big South opener," said Longwood first-year head coach Rebecca Tillett. We battled hard and I was hoping for our women that we'd be able to find a way but in the end it wasn't enough."

Nwabudu and Whitfield took over the game in the second half for the Eagles, combining for 27 of Winthrop's 41 points. In that second half, the pair led the Eagles to a .412 shooting clip while helping Winthrop crank up the defensive pressure with 10 second half turnovers.

"I thought [Nwabudu] was incredible for Winthrop," Tillett said. "We were concerned about her coming in and she had an especially good second half. Whitfield played well above her averages, which is exactly what you need to win a game in the Big South."

After Winthrop came out of the locker room and went on a 9-0 run to take its largest advantage of the game at 13 points, Longwood's frontcourt combination of Odell and Rouse combined to score 19 of the next 28 points for the Lancers to bring the deficit back to one point. From there, Winthrop converted 10 free throws down the stretch to ice the win.

"To be able to battle back from 13 points down is a huge confidence boost for our program," Tillett said. "Tonight was one of the first games that I've seen that type of fight from our women, so I'm glad that we were able to show progress in that area."

Coming into the game with the second highest shooting clip in the Big South, Rouse finished 5-of-8 from the floor and added four assists, three steals and three blocks to go along with her double-double effort. Saturday's game was the seventh time in 11 games that the Pittsburgh, Pa., product finished in double figures.

"From the first possession, Dayna was diving on the floor for loose balls and that helped to set the tone for her."

Guihon scored 12 of her 16 points in the first half to secure her second consecutive game in double figures. The performance from the 5-6 guard is the latest in a breakout season for the Largo, Md., product, as she's scored in double figures six games and is averaging 10.7 points per game – second on the team – after averaging 4.6 points as a freshman.

Meanwhile, Odell paced the Lancers in the scoring column for the second time on the season, scoring 11 of her 17 points in the second half while finishing two rebounds shy of collecting her team-high third double-double of the season. Bennett finished in double figures for the fourth time on the season.

"We'll study the film and go back to work in practice over the next two days to work to get better," Tillett said.

Longwood will look to bounce back Tuesday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. at Presbyterian. That game will conclude a stretch of seven consecutive games on the road, as the Lancers return to Willett Hall to welcome Charleston Southern Jan. 12.

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