FARMVILLE, Va. – Towson and Longwood brought their track shoes on Saturday afternoon, as the two teams went back and forth in a high-scoring and fast-paced thriller. Eleven players scored in double figures between the two teams, but Kionna Jeter and Shavonne Smith combined for 55 points as Towson took down Longwood 108-89.

Both sides ran at every opportunity, and Jeter, CAA Preseason Player of the Year, never tired as she tied a career high with 32 points. Smith added a double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds​, both career-high marks for the junior. For the Lancers, both Akila Smith and Adriana Shipp set career-highs in points—Smith totaled 19 points, along with nine rebounds, four blocks, and three steals, and the redshirt-freshman Shipp added 17 points and four rebounds in her fourth career game for the Lancers.

Four other Towson players hit double digits to outlast a balanced Longwood attack, as the Lancer starting five all totaled double-digit points. Kyla McMakin added 17 points with nine rebounds, and Tra'Dayja Smith added 17 points and five assists while Anne-Hamilton LeRoy tallied 12 points. Freshman Brooke Anya made her collegiate debut, notching two points, five rebounds, a block and a steal.

"Credit to Towson, they're going to be really, really tough this year, picked third in the preseason poll and with the preseason player of the year in Kionna Jeter," said Longwood head coach Rebecca Tillett. "I think for us, we were trying to get some things back on track, and I think certainly offensively we were able to do that: five women in double figures, another really consistent performance by Akila Smith, and then Adriana Shipp coming out and making her mark for us offensively, which we think we needed her to do."

The game featured a blazing-hot start for both sides, as the teams combined for 62 points in the opening frame, with Towson nursing a 32-30 lead. The 30 first quarter points for Longwood is their most in a quarter since last season's win over Charleston Southern on Jan. 9, where they also poured in 30. Akila Smith lead the charge for the Lancers while shooting 5-5 from the field to total 10 points in the stanza. Jeter matched her point for point and led Towson with 10 points.  

"She's impacting the game on every level," said Tillett of Smith, who lead Longwood in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks on Saturday. "Defensively, blocks, rebounds, she can score it. She's now at an age and maturity level where she's helping to orchestrate things, calling out actions of our opponents, making things work for us offensively. It's awesome to see women go to work like that."

Towson, who entered Saturday's game averaging 87.3 points per contest, used an 11-0 second quarter run to jump ahead. Smith and Jeter combined for all 11 points on the run to take a 43-34 lead. McMakin and Longwood answered, as the junior scored five straight points to pull the Lancers within four, 49-45. The first half featured 13 lead changes and eight ties, as the two teams traded blows back and forth. At the break, the Tigers led 51-45 on the strength of the two-time All-CAA First Team Jeter's 18 first half points.

Shavonne Smith took over for Towson in the third, shooting a blistering 6-9 from the field in the quarter for 13 points to extend a Tigers lead they would not relinquish. Longwood continued to fight, scoring 44 points in the second half. Shipp scored 11 of her points in the final two quarters, as Tra'Dayja Smith added 10 second-half points.

"I think definitely," said Shipp when asked if she expects her scoring to continue going forward. "I think that if we continue to trust our offense, you'll see more from my teammates as well."

The game served as the final tune-up for the Lancers before they open conference play. A season ago, the Lancers won eight games in the Big South, tying their most since their first year in the conference in the 2012-13 season.

"I think in terms of preparation, we certainly wanted in the non-conference to see as much as we could see to be prepared for Radford," added Tillett. "So one of the messages to our women is, you have to have the right attitude about this, right? Are we learning? Are we growing? And we think we are, and we think we're prepared to start conference play, and I think our opposing teams have prepped us well for that"

The Lancers will host their conference opener next, as they host Radford on Tuesday, Dec. 15 and Wednesday, Dec. 16. Play both days will kick off at 6 p.m. and be streamed live on ESPN+.

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