FARMVILLE, VA. – Behind 31 points from Kyla McMakin and a near triple-double from Akila Smith, Longwood pulled away from Howard, 89-78, to win their third straight  on Saturday night.
 
With the victory, Longwood (3-4, 2-0 Big South) has now bounced back from an 0-4 start in out-of-conference to win by double-digits in their last three games against quality opponents—the Bison (3-0) entered today's game unbeaten, while Radford was picked to finish second in the Big South Conference preseason poll.
 
Smith had a career day, scoring a career-high 20 points, while matching her career-highs in rebounds (16) and blocks (8). The Orlando, Fla. native, who set Longwood's single season block record and led the Big South with 74 rejections last season, has swatted 25 shots in her last five games, upping the ante each outing. Today's performance also marked the third career 30-point showing for McMakin, and is the second straight game where two Lancers had at least 20 points.
 
Anne-Hamilton LeRoy narrowly avoided making it three, scoring 19 points with a pair of assists. The sophomore poured in 13 of those points in the opening quarter, the third time the All-Big South freshman team member has scored at least 10 points in a quarter this season. Longwood floor general Tra'Dayja Smith added eight points, six assists, and eight rebounds. Seven Lancers grabbed multiple rebounds, as Longwood held a 49-to-39 advantage on the glass. Destiny Howell led the Bison with 14 points, as Jayla Thornton added 13.
 
"I am really, really excited for our women," said Longwood head coach Rebecca Tillett. "To come off of a really good performance in conference and then have to turn around and play a non-conference game is not typical, like most things have been in 2020. It was a big effort by us to continue to improve our defense. We saw that a little bit in the field goal percentage number, not quite as much in the actual the number of points scored on the board, but the areas that we are looking for it to come in, it's coming. And then again, our offense was powerful, unselfish, and a lot of people found ways to be effective."
 
The Lancers got out to another red hot start, grabbing a 34-23 advantage in the first quarter while shooting a blistering 12-of-21 from the field with eight assists.  Longwood continues to storm out of the gates, averaging 28.3 points over their last four opening quarters. LeRoy's 13 points in the first ten minutes included a 5-of-6 showing from the free throw line, continuing her dominance from the charity stripe—the Seneca, S.C. native entered today's game leading the Big South with a .923 free throw percentage.
 
In total, the Lancers dropped 51 points in the first half, the second time they have eclipsed 50 points in the first half in their past three games.  Smith recorded her fifth double-double of the season in the opening two quarters alone, with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and a stifling five blocks. The junior is one of two players averaging a double-double in the Big South. Smith's huge first half performance was accompanied by two other Lancers who notched double digits in the time-frame, as McMakin added 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists, and fellow sophomore LeRoy added 15 on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting with two assists of her own, powering the Lancers to a 51-38 advantage at the break.
 
"I think [Kyla] was doing some things that we've been talking about in terms of finding other ways to score," said Tillett of the reigning Big South Freshman of the Year. "You could see her really attacking the rim a little bit and bracing for contact. I think she was patient, and I thought she played really, really well tonight."
 
Redshirt-freshman Adriana Shipp scored the first bucket of the third quarter, extending the Lancer lead to a game-high 15 points with 18:31 remaining. Howard rallied to pull within six points in the fourth, 78-72, but Longwood stayed cool and iced the game from the free throw line, draining 11-of-12 free throws down the stretch. The Lancers, who entered the game shooting a Big South best .800 from the charity stripe, topped that mark, knocking down 25-of-30 attempts on Saturday.
 
"It feels great," said McMakin about the team's hot offense. "It's a lot of fun and joy to be out there when everything is working for you and your teammates are hitting shots and making good plays. It's such fun basketball, and I think we really thrive when it's fun basketball and we're going out there and playing for each other and feeling that love. It's a great atmosphere."
 
Longwood will have 11 days off before continuing their Big South Slate, as the travel to UNC Ashville for back-to-back games on Wednesday, Dec. 30 and Thursday, Dec. 31. Play will tip off at 2 p.m. and be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
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