FARMVILLE, Va. -- Good teams respond to adversity. For a Longwood team mired in a three-game losing streak, that response came in a big way Saturday against a perennial Big South frontrunner.

Sparked by 25 points and a marathon 40-minute effort from Big South Freshman of the Year frontrunner Kyla McMakin, the resurgent Lancers (9-9, 5-4 Big South) continued their breakout 2019-20 season by dispatching annual conference frontrunner UNC Asheville 73-56 Saturday afternoon in Willett Hall.

The win is the latest in Longwood's surge up the Big South standings under second-year head coach Rebecca Tillett and puts the Lancers back above .500 nine games into conference play for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

"I love the game, and I come to shoot every day, and I have the opportunity with great teammates that set me up with open shots," said freshman Kyla McMakin. " I am just happy to be able to hit my shots, keep the team's momentum, and hype up the crowd. We came out today with a different mindset ready to defend and that is what really changed our game." 

UNC Asheville (11-7, 5-4 Big South) entered the game tied for third in the conference standings and winners of two of the past five Big South Championships but could not keep pace with a Longwood offense that outscored the Bulldogs 38-20 in the paint and 23-9 off turnovers. McMakin led that effort with her fifth 20-point game of the season, while senior Dayna Rouse recorded her Big South-leading sixth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. 

The victory improved Longwood's home record in Willett Hall to 6-4 and moved the Lancers into sixth place in the Big South, just a half-game behind fourth-place Radford and High Point. 

Longwood led for the entire second half and held a lead of at least two possessions for the game's final 19 minutes. That performance came against a UNC Asheville team that boasts the league's No. 2 ranked scoring defense at 55.2 opponent points per game and had allowed only two teams -- Miami and Wofford -- to top 70 points before Longwood did so Saturday.

However, the Lancers countered with the Big South's No. 1 ranked offense and saw three players, including McMakin, Rouse, and freshman Anne-Hamilton LeRoy, finish in double-digit scoring. Longwood shot .439 (29-of-66) from the floor, .467 (7-of-15) from three-point range and .800 (8-of-10) from the free-throw line. That performance came without the presence of point guard Tra'Dayja Smith and her Big South-leading 6.4 assists per game, as the junior from Madisonville, Texas, missed the game -- her first of the season -- with an injury.

"We played under adverse conditions the entire game. Being without Tra'Dayja Smith was something we were all taking note of, and our women responded from the moment we found out that she wasn't able to play," said head coach Rebecca Tillett.

"We knew that we were going to have to come out with an attacking mindset from the jump. Anne-Hamilton LeRoy responded well running the point guard position for us with zero turnovers. Dayna Rouse and Kyla McMakin did what they did, but as a team, we had 13 assists without Smith on the floor, and that is impressive. Associate head coach Tiffany Sardin had a great scouting report and helped us prepare with our circumstances. We limited our turnovers and forced UNC Asheville into 20 turnovers, and that was crucial."

Longwood was equally effective on the defensive end of the floor, holding UNC Asheville to .322 (19-of-59) shooting from the field and .300 (6-of-20) from three-point range. Stymied by a three-steal, four-block performance from Longwood sophomore Akila Smith, the Bulldogs made just six field goals after halftime and committed 20 turnovers. 

The win sends Longwood into a crucial stretch of road games, beginning this Tuesday at second-place Hampton and continuing the following Tuesday with a rematch at UNC Asheville, whose 5-4 conference record puts them alongside the Lancers in the Big South standings. 

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