BUIES CREEK, N.C. –Junior Dayna Rouse scored a game-high 18 points and finished one rebound shy of collecting her fifth double-double in a breakout junior season, as upset-minded Longwood women's basketball dropped its first round matchup with sixth-seeded Campbell 54-49 Tuesday night inside Gore Arena.

Rouse's performance was overcome by 15 points from Hailey Barber and 12 points from Kyra Davis, as the Camels (18-11) move on to the quarterfinals for the second time under the direction of head coach Ronnie Fisher.

Campbell was able to overcome a seven-point fourth quarter deficit after Akila Smith scored two of her 10 points in a second half with 6:46 to play in the final quarter to hand the Lancers its largest lead of the night. Campbell's defense clamped down and held the Lancers to two points over the game's final 6:46 while a Davis go-ahead three-pointer with 2:47 to play put the Camels ahead to stay.

"Our women were so keyed in on fighting," said Longwood first-year head coach Rebecca Tillett. "That was our message. We wanted to make history for this senior group, they haven't won a tournament game and that was everyone's focus. We had a lot of unselfish play because we wanted to try to make that happen for them."

For a Longwood (3-27) team that saw the first season under head coach Rebecca Tillett come to an end, Akila Smith matched her season-high with 10 points, along with seven rebounds while Mallory Odell added 11 boards to go with five points.

One day after being named to the All-Big South Second Team, Rouse put on a display with her 14th game of the season with 15-plus points. Longwood's first player to be named to the first or second team All-Big South, Rouse's season culminates with her being third all-time in program  history in single season field-goal percentage and the first in the Division I era with her Big South-leading .565 shooting clip.

"It's a nice honor for all of the hard work that my teammates and I have put in this season," Rouse said. "I really credit my teammates. Without them getting me the ball in positions where I can score and pushing me to become a better player each day, I wouldn't have been able to had the success I had this season in becoming more of a scorer."

A product of Pittsburgh, Pa., Rouse scored eight of her 18 points in the third quarter on 4-of-6 shooting, as her effort was part of a third quarter in which the Lancers shot .556 from the floor.

"A lot of Campbell's game plan was centered around Dayna and she still figured out a way to do what she does and score 18 points for us," Tillett said. "What we love most about Dayna's development is her leadership and the growth that she showed throughout the course of the year. That's something that she can continue to build upon for next season."

Smith scored her 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting to match her season-best performance in a campaign in which the Orlando, Fla., native started 12 of 23 games played and averaged 5.7 points per game in three of her final games while being a presence on the defensive end of the floor and ranking among the top 10 in the Big South with 1.4 blocks per game.

"Akila's aggressiveness was playing for our seniors," Tillett said. "Once she made a couple shots, she started to feel comfortable and that took some pressure off Dayna."

The game brings an end to the careers of Kristina Antonenko, Ciarah Bennett, Rosemary Ilang, Ashlee Jones, Kate Spradlin, as they helped lay the foundation in the inaugural season under Tillett and her staff with the Lancers.

"This year, the seniors taught me how to have fun with the game and be competitive throughout the course of the year," Rouse said. "They all make me a better player. CeCe with her energy and excitement for the game. Kate inspires us with her work ethic, so I've learned so much from her since she's been here. Kristina, Ashlee and Rose have such a positive energy on and off the court, they never get down no matter the situation."

Longwood will now turn its attention to the 2019-20 season with the Lancers to return nine players, including Rouse and Stephanie Guihon, who led Longwood in scoring throughout the 2018-19 season.

#GoWood