FARMVILLE, Va. – Three Presbyterian players finished in double figures to negate the second 20-point game for Longwood senior guard Ciarah Bennett, as the visiting Blue Hose won their second game in a three-game span with a 64-60 victory over Longwood Saturday afternoon inside Willett Hall.
 
Trinity Johnson led three Presbyterian players in double figures with 11 of her 18 points coming in the fourth quarter, as she finished the game 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. Kacie Hall finished with 11 points while Salina Virola finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points, nine rebounds.
 
The win hands the Blue Hose (6-21, 4-12 Big South) a season sweep over the Lancers (3-24, 2-15 Big South), who drops their fifth consecutive game in a contest that featured five ties, two lead changes.
 
"Our seniors have really bought into what we're trying to do," said Longwood head coach Rebecca Tillett. "Despite our lack of success yet in the win column, the culture is changing. Things are changing. Today would've been a special game to win for them and I thought we did a lot of great things, but there were some areas in which we could've executed and done things a little better."
 
Presbyterian was able to overcome the second 20-point game of the season and third consecutive game in double from Bennett, who was one of five seniors honored by the Lancers prior to the game. Bennett added five rebounds, three assists and two rebounds to her credit, as she was joined with a 15-point effort from Dayna Rouse.
 
The pair of Hall and Johnson combined 16 of 29 Presbyterian points in the second half, as Longwood was able to cut into a nine-point halftime deficit after the Blue Hose utilized a 15-5 run over the opening eight minutes of the second quarter to build its largest lead of 15 points in the game.
 
Longwood locked down defensively in the second half to make it a two-point game heading into the final period. Johnson added 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch, as Presbyterian held on for the four-point win. The Lancers held the Blue Hose, the Big South's top three-point shooting team, to 1-of-4 beyond the arc in the second half while limiting Hall, the Big South's top individual three-point threat, to 1-of-3 from long range.
 
"Our defense gave us a chance in the second half," Tillett said. "Presbyterian average seven three-pointers per game and we thought they had too many good looks in the first half. Our goal coming in was to hold them at or below their average and we accomplished that."
 
Bennett's third consecutive game in double figures, her latest effort is three points shy of her career-high 23 points against Saint Francis (Pa.) in her second 20-point outing of the season. A product of Camden, N.J., Bennett is averaging 14.7 points per game over that stretch while making 9-of-17 from three-point range.
 
"Cece [Ciarah] did a great job of focusing throughout the week," Tillett said. "Sometimes seniors have a realization that their careers are coming to an end, but her focus and determination to help our team win which showed up on the floor."
 
The game for Rouse is her 19th of the season in double figures, as the 6-1 forward has scored 15-plus points in seven of her last nine games. Rouse finished Saturday 6-of-13 from the field and added three rebounds in 26 minutes.
 
Longwood honored its five seniors prior to the game – Bennett, Kristina Antonenko, Rosemary Ilang, Ashlee Jones and Kate Spradlin.
 
Longwood faces a quick turnaround, as the Lancers step out of conference Monday, March 4 to face Old Dominion at 6:30 p.m. inside the Ted Constant Center. The Lancers will wrap up the 2018-19 regular season Saturday, March 9 at Charleston Southern.
 
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