FARMVILLE, Va. – Behind a pair of 20-point games from All-Big South guard Trinity Johnson and reserve guard Shamani Stafford, No. 9 seed Presbyterian withstood a fourth-quarter charge and pulled out an 81-73 upset over No. 8 seed Longwood in the first round of the 2020 Hercules Tires Big South Championship Tuesday evening in Willett Hall.
 
"Tonight you saw the fight that we are known for this season," said head coach Rebecca Tillett. "Our defensive execution was not there tonight, and I take full responsibility for that. We are going to spend a lot of time this offseason working on our defense. I feel it was our one missing element from this season. We have the chemistry, the connectedness, the offensive power, and the unselfishness. We just could not get enough stops in a game like tonight, and we were still right there at the end."  

Stafford scored 22 and Johnson 21 to account for nearly half of Presbyterian's points and lead the Blue Hose (12-18) into a quarterfinal matchup against No. 1 seed Campbell this Thursday, March 12, in Buies Creek, N.C.
 
The combined 43 points from Johnson and Stafford were enough to hold off a late charge that saw Big South Freshman of the Year Kyla McMakin power a Longwood (12-18) comeback that trimmed a 16-point deficit to two with 4:00 to play. McMakin, also an All-Big South first-team honoree, drilled a career-high seven three-pointers en route to a 26-point night that was her 11th 20-point game of the season. She scored 14 of those points in the second half and finished one three-pointer shy of tying the Big South record for made treys in a single conference tournament game.

"We had the fight that we have as a team," said freshman Kyla McMakin. "Even though we started tonight rough, we never backed down, and we continued to play with a really good Presbyterian team. I think there are a lot of areas we need to grow, but as a team, we understand the need to improve because we are a good team, and we are going to be here in the future. We are going to continue to improve until we are one of the best teams."
 
McMakin almost single-handedly pulled Longwood back into the game with a personal 9-0 run that saw her hit three consecutive three-pointers and trim the Blue Hose lead from 67-51 to 67-60. That ignited a 15-4 rally in which the Lancers forced stops on seven of nine Presbyterian possessions and, trailing 71-69, gave Longwood two opportunities to tie the game.

"We call a lot of plays for Kyla, but if there is a better play available, she makes the better play," Tillett added. "If her teammate is more open than she is, then she makes the pass. When we saw that early in the season, as a coaching staff, we knew it was really special to have someone who can score and create what seems like magic, but also commits to the team game." 
 
However, that comeback fell short thanks to a four-point response from the Blue Hose that quieted the Longwood rally. Presbyterian's defense stepped up to hold the high-powered Longwood offense, ranked No. 2 in the Big South with 67.8 points per game, to just one field goal the rest of the way.
 
Longwood senior forward and All-Big South second-team selection Dayna Rouse also ended in double figures with 13 points in her final game, bringing her career total to 1,154 to finish 15th on the program's all-time scoring list. However, McMakin and Rouse's contributions were not enough to overcome a Presbyterian offense that converted 19 Lancer turnovers into 19 points. Alessia Capley, Tess Santos and Stafford all swiped three steals apiece to lead that charge.

"Dayna was really trying to help us turn that corner, and we kept knocking at the door to turn the corner against Presbyterian, but they played a great game," Tillett continued.  "As far as Dayna, we told her we wish we could have had her for four years, and she wishes that too. What Dayna was able to accomplish here with us in two years is incredible, and that is because of the work she put into her game."
 
The loss ends a breakout season for the Lancers under second-year head coach Rebecca Tillett, who led the team to eight Big South wins and oversaw a Longwood team that led the Big South in blocks, field goal percentage and free throw percentage and finished second in the conference in points per game and three-point percentage.
 
The Lancers will return all but seniors Rouse and Jada Russell to the floor in 20-21, including four of five starters.

"What we want to build on for next year is our defense," Tillett finished. "I take a lot of responsibility for our defense this season. We will spend a lot of time this offseason figuring that out. I think that was the one missing element we needed to win games like tonight, the close games, the games in the big environment. That is something that I will take a look at this offseason. One of our sayings is 'Build with us' and building that winning culture takes time, and what we are trying to do at Longwood is not easy. What we ask of our women is not easy. The commitment level you need to build something takes a lot from everyone. What we feel in our locker room is hunger and desire. What we say to our seniors, Dayna and Jada, is when we win a championship, when we do it, they will be a part of the foundation."
 
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