Kyla McMakin Named Big South Player of the Week
Women's Basketball
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FARMVILLE, VA. - After draining a buzzer-beating three pointer to topple the Big South preseason favorites Campbell,
Kyla McMakin was named the Big South Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday afternoon.
The honor is the second Player of the Week award for McMakin this season, and the fourth of the season for the Lancers.
Akila Smith was named Big South Player of the Week on Nov. 30, and McMakin and
Adriana Shipp swept the weekly awards on Dec. 21. Longwood won 10 Big South weekly awards in 2019-20, including McMakin's seven Freshman of the Week wins—she is just one of six women in Big South women's basketball history to do so, as she went on to be named Big South Freshman of the year at the end of the season.
The latest award comes on the heels of McMakin's standout performance in Longwood's road series with Campbell, the reigning Big South regular season champions. The reigning Big South Freshman of the Year lead Longwood to its first ever win in Buies Creek after delivering in the clutch with nine-straight points to close out the game on Sunday afternoon, as she had a hand in 12 of Longwood's 15 points in the final quarter. Her game-winning, buzzer-beating three was the no. 3 play on SportsCenter's Top 10 in the 54-52 win one night after she poured in 12 fourth-quarter points in a rally that came up just short in the opening game of the back-to-back set. She led Longwood in scoring on the week (18.0 ppg) while adding 4.0 boards and 1.5 assists per game to go with three steals.
A native of Virginia Beach, Va., McMakin's 18.6 points per game average ranks second in the Big South-- the sophomore led the league in scoring in her debut season in 2019-20. Her scoring prowess extends to the free throw line, where she ranks second in the conference with a .850 (51-60) percentage, leading a Longwood team that averages the second-most points in the Big South. She has scored in double-figures in 12-of-13 games this season, with a season-high 31 points on Dec. 19 against Howard
The Lancers return home for their next contest, as they will host Winthrop for a back-to-back set on Friday, Jan. 15 and Saturday, Jan. 16. Both games will tip off at 6 p.m. and be streamed live on ESPN+.
#GoWood
