HIGH POINT, N.C. — The two best offenses in the Big South Conference put on a show for spectators inside the Millis Center Saturday evening. Longwood saw a pair of single-season records fall after spectacular performances, but High Point led by Skyler Curran's 24 points powered past the Lancers, defending home court, 86-79

"I have to take responsibility for where we are at right now as a team, said head coach Rebecca Tillett. "We are working hard to figure it out together. With so many close games lately, we feel our staff can make a difference in that. It was a big night for Kyla McMakin and Tra'Dayja Smith to break records is incredible for them. I think the sentiment in the locker room is that it is great we are breaking records, but we want to be successful, and take down our opponents, and that is where our focus is."

Longwood (10-17, 6-12 Big South) had four Lancers finish in double-figures, as well as two Longwood season records, were broken in the loss. The Big South leading scorer, Kyla McMakin, finished with a game-high 25 points, breaking the Longwood single-season freshman scoring record of 484 points set by Marita Meldere in 2000-2001. 

"It feels good to break the record," said freshman Kyla McMakin. "This was a skilled team before I arrived, but to be able to come in and have an immediate impact is due to the trust that coach Tillett and my teammates have in me as a freshman. Not a lot of people would have that level of trust in me in my freshman season. I am grateful to play for a team that accepted me from the start."

McMakin might have led the Lancers in scoring, but the offense ran through junior point guard Tra'Dayja Smith. Smith, who recorded the only triple-double of the season for the Big South earlier this season, finished with her first double-double of the season with 14 points and a career-high 11 assists. Smith's 11 assists performance gives her 170 assists on the season and breaks the Longwood single-season record for assists set by Caren Forbes in 1986-87. 

"It means a lot to break the all-time assist record at Longwood." Said junior Tra'Dayja Smith. "Records are meant to be broken; I am just happy to be a part of the legacy we are building here at Longwood under coach Tillett."

High Point (14-13, 12-6 Big South) finished four Panthers in double-figures led by the No. 2 scorer in the Big South Conference, Skyler Curran with 24 points, 11 coming in the third quarter. Curran finished 10-for-16 from the floor, including three of the Panthers treys in the game.  

"There are games we are successful at stopping the players at the top of our scout, and then there are games we allow them to have big nights," Added Tillett. "It is a consistent theme this season that we have to get better defensively. I do think our women are committed to getting better defensively; we need to stay the course and get better with every single drill that we prep for defense and in possessions in the game."

"We have got to get better defensively to be able to execute a defensive game plan and then change our plan when teams adjust to us defensively. High Point is one of the best offensive teams in the conference, we knew there was a chance it could be a high-scoring game. The first half went more of the way we wanted it to go, where the second half went more in the favor of how High Point wanted the game to go."

Longwood responded with a late push in the fourth quarter with Kyla McMakin leading the Lancers with eight of her game-high 25 points coming in the final quarter. High Point extended their advantage as all seven Panthers who took the floor in the fourth quarter scored as High Point finished the game, 86-79.

"We did a good job in the first half defending an excellent offensive team, they are the best three-point shooting team in the conference, and we needed to transfer that over to the second half," added McMakin. "When we come out after halftime, we need to keep pushing the lead when we have the advantage."

As records fell, All-Big South Dayna Rouse continued to grind in the paint against the Panthers. Rouse recorded a game-best 11 rebounds and added 12 points to record her seventh double-double of the season for the Lancers. Joining the trio of McMakin, Smith, and Rouse was sophomore Milou Vennema with her first start of the season for Longwood, finished with a career-best with 11 points and three treys, on 3-of-4 shooting from behind the arc. 
 

The loss is the seventh straight for the Lancers. During the streak, Longwood has played the top half of the Big South Conference, including top-three teams consecutively, with a scoring margin of -7 points, with two losses by only three-points. 

The Lancers will return to Willett Hall for Senior Day on March 4 as the Spartans of USC Upstate come to Farmville. Longwood will honor seniors, Jada Russell, and Dayna Rouse for their contributions to the women's basketball program pre-game, before looking to complete the season sweep against the Spartans. Tipoff against USC Upstate will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Jerome Kersey Court. 

"We have been in a lot of close games lately, and that has given us the knowledge of what will work and what will not work in the last seconds of a game," finished McMakin. "Going forward and as we prepare for the end of the season and the Big South Tournament, we need to turn it around and win some of these upcoming close games we will be in."

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