FARMVILLE, Va. – Campbell University needed three Fighting Camels with double-digit point performances led by Shyanne Tuelle with 20-points to overcome Longwood, 70-55. The loss signifies the end of a four-game winning streak for the Lancers, the longest since the 2008 season.
"We have huge respect for Campbell, said head coach
Rebecca Tillett. "I thought they had a great game plan for us, and they did a great job of executing on a single day of prep. I believe we have the right women in the locker room to be able to respond to this."
Both teams struggled from the start offensively, but Longwood (6-6, 2-1 Big South) finished the first quarter on an 8-1 run in which four Lancers contributed. The Lancers' defense held the Fighting Camels to seven points as Campbell (8-5, 3-1 Big South) shot 12 percent from the floor in the first ten minutes of play.
Campbell regrouped in the second frame shooting 44 percent from the floor, and 50 percent from behind the arc as Shyanne Tuelle sparked the Fighting Camels with ten of her 20 points coming in the quarter, including two key three-pointers to change the momentum in Campbell's favor. The Fighting Camels went on to outscore the Lancers 21-12 in the quarter.
After the break Campbell, the best scoring defense in the Big South continued to show their strength holding Longwood to 11-points in the quarter. Tuelle continued her offensive success for the Fighting Camels going 2-of-3 from behind the arc for a total of 8 points, extending Campbell's lead to 13 points entering the final quarter.
Longwood leaned on the pairing of Big South Player and Freshman of the Week, senior
Dayna Rouse, and freshman
Kyla McMakin late in the fourth quarter. The duo combined for 17 points in the second half, with Rouse scoring four straight points to bring the Lancers within single-digits of Campbell with three-minutes remaining, but the deficit proved too much for Longwood. Campbell would finish the game with a 6-0 run to secure the win, 70-55.
Rouse paced the Lancers offense with 17 points, shooting 9-of-11 from the free-throw line. Adding to her stat sheet, Rouse grabbed six rebounds and recorded three blocks before fouling out in the final minutes.
McMakin and fellow freshman
Anne-Hamilton LeRoy joined Rouse as the three Lancers in double-figures. McMakin on 7-of-19 shooting finished with 15 points and made an impact defensively with three steals. LeRoy found her shot from behind the arc, shooting 3-of-4 from deep, contributing to her 12 points in the defeat.
"Campbell is traditionally very good defensively, so we knew we were going to have to work on the offensive end, Tillett added. "I thought we could have been more settled than we were. I really liked the toughness that both
Anne-Hamilton LeRoy and
Kyla McMakin played with. I think it helped our team stay in the game and still be threatening towards the end. We needed more toughness constantly as a whole unit."
Offensively Longwood converted on 34 percent their shots from the floor, but did have success from behind the arc with 55.6 percent of their attempts finding the bottom of the net. Campbell converted only 35.8 percent of their shots, but found succuss on second chance opportunities with 33 of the Fighting Camels 70 points coming on offensive put backs.
With Big South Conference play just beginning, Longwood will turn their attention to welcoming the Buccaneers of Charleston Southern to Willett Hall on January 9. The Lancers will then conclude the week on the road in Spartanburg, S.C., against USC Upstate on January 11.
"We are going to start prepping for Charleston Southern now," finished Tillett. "Every Big South opponent is capable, and we will have to approach that game just like we did this one and keep working towards our goals."
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