BUIES CREEK, N.C. — The Big South leading Fighting Camels of Campbell were taken to the wire on their home floor by Longwood, but the Fighting Camels led by Kianna Speight overcame the Lancers offense in the final minutes, defeating Longwood 81-76. 

"We wanted to test our offensive will, and if we could put up big numbers against Campbell's defense, and we did," said head coach Rebecca Tillett. "We had the lead late, the difference in the game was in the fourth quarter when we allowed Taya Bolden to get six offensive rebounds, and go 4-of-5 from the free-throw line during that stretch. Bolden played solid for Campbell, and we did not have an answer for her."

Longwood (10-15, 6-10 Big South) had three Lancers finish with double-figure scoring performances led by the freshman duo of Kyla McMakin and Anne-Hamilton LeRoy. The freshman pair knocked the best defense in the Big South on their heels, combining for 39 points. McMakin finished with a game-high 20 points, shooting 12-13 from the free-throw line. LeRoy finished with 19 points, shooting a clip of .600 (6-of-10) from the floor.

"We came in with the mindset that Campbell had everything to lose, and we did not have anything to lose and to play," Said freshman Anne-Hamilton LeRoy. "We wanted to play relentlessly on both sides of the ball. I was trying to do everything in that moment to give to the team. We had a lot of good runs. We could not finish it at the end." 

"We can play with anybody. Our fight is always there. We never question that. We have played these close games more than anybody, so come tournament time we are going to be more prepared and ready to finish games."

Kianna Speight led Campbell (19-6, 14-2 Big South) with 17 points, but it was Taya Bolden who took control in the second half, scoring 10 of her 16 points after the break to help Campbell weather the offensive surge the Lancers offense produced. Longwood and Campbell exchanged the lead twice in the final frame.  

LeRoy capitalized on a four-point play at the five-minute mark of the final quarter that gave the Lancers a three-point advantage over the Fighting Camels. Bolden and Speight responded with 11 straight points for the Fighting Camels leading Campbell to a late advantage in the closing minutes. Longwood continued to fight to the closing seconds with Tra'Dayja Smith's 17th point of the game, cutting the lead to four points with under a minute to play. Still, the Fighting Camels advantage proved too much, and Campbell secured their conference-best, 14th victory of the season. 

"You get a sense every year about how your team will perform on the road, and it does not increase our nerves to play on the road, and that is a positive sign as we head into the end of the season and playoffs," added Rebecca Tillett. "A positive from today is that we executed a somewhat new game plan today, so to be able to see that we can do that and the parts that we executed on helped us keep the game close."

The Big South leading distributor, Tra'Dayja Smith, joined the duo of McMakin and LeRoy in double-figures with 17 points. Smith went 5-of-9 from the floor, including two treys in the second half. Smith padded the stat sheet with five assists and four steals. 

Longwood's offense scored 24 points above what Campbell's Big South leading defense holds opponents to on average. The Lancers 76 points are the most an opponent has scored on the Fighting Camels this season. 

Defensively, Longwood continued their trend of blocking 6.1 shots per game, with seven blocks in the loss. All-Big South Dayna Rouse protected the rim for the Lancers with a game-best four blocks. Rouse added five rebounds and nine points to her defensive performance. Sophomore and single-season record holder for blocks in a season added to her total with two blocks, increasing her season total to a Big South best, 59 blocks. 

Longwood returns home to Willett Hall after a three-game stretch in which the Lancers competed against the top-three teams in the Big South. With the return to Willett Hall, the Lancers welcome the Eagles of Winthrop University on February 25 with the hope of splitting the season series, as the Eagles defeated the Lancers 74-63 on January 21. Tipoff between Longwood and Winthrop is set for 7 p.m. on Jerome Kersey Court. 

"Winthrop is dangerous inside on the boards, so coming out of this game and going into that game on a quick turnaround, we have to prepare and get better so we can win the rebounding battle," finished Tillett. " We are excited to get back in front of our home crowd in Willett Hall." 

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