FARMVILLE, Va. – In her latest bid to rewrite Longwood's record books, Akila Smith recorded the second triple-double of the program's Division I era to power the red-hot Lancers to a 73-68 win over Winthrop Friday night at Willett Hall.
 
Already in possession of Longwood's single-season blocks record, set in 2019-20, and in pursuit of the program's all-time blocks record, Smith added her name to yet another list with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and career-high 11 blocks to secure her first career triple-double and only the eighth such performance in NCAA women's basketball this season. The feat matches teammate Tra'Dayja Smith's 12-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist performance on Jan. 9, 2020 against Charleston Southern a season ago.
 
The 11 rejections also set a single-game Longwood record for Smith, who last season shattered Longwood's season blocks record with 74.
 
"I just helped my teammates out," said Smith on her record block total. "They sent their man to the paint and I was just there to convert and get us a stop."
 
Smith's dominant performance extended a January surge for the Lancers (7-7, 6-3 Big South), who have won four of their past five to move into the top three of the Big South standings. The win was also Longwood's fifth straight home conference win.
 
"We are really pleased with the outcome," said Longwood head coach Rebecca Tillett. "It was a huge night for Akila individually. I think we did a lot of things we were trying to do right. I'm a little disappointed in our third-quarter defensive performance, but we will take a look at that and try to improve it. We are on the path to becoming a winning program. There are some final steps we have to take to make that happen, and I think we are right in that transition period right now."
 
Entering the game second in Division I with 45 blocks this season, Smith leaped past Oklahoma State's Natasha Mack's 49 swats to move into sole possession of the national lead with 56. The performance also serves as her ninth double-double of the season, moving her into a tie for the national lead in the category.
 
"I thought Akila was excellent tonight," added Tillett. "She was really keyed in on what we were trying to do on both sides of the floor and was patient with how those things came to her. She does so much for us. It is so exciting for her to set that type of record."
 
Accompanying Smith's monster game were three other Lancers in double-digits, as Kyla McMakin dropped 20 points, Anne-Hamilton LeRoy tallied 13 points, and Tra'Dayja Smith added 10 points with a game-high eight assists for a Longwood team that shot a season-best .492 (30-61) from the field. The Lancers scored 50 points in the paint and 22 in transition, holding double-digit edges in both categories over the Eagles (2-8, 1-6), who were led by 15 points from Anika Riley, 14 points from Mya Strickland, and 11 points by Madison Ervin.
 
The Lancer offense came out of the gates scorching, pouring in 30 first-quarter points for the third time this season. McMakin led the early surge with 10 points, knocking down 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. Smith scored six points in the opening quarter on three straight Lancer possessions. The Orlando, Fla., native swiped three consecutive Winthrop passes, taking all three all the way to the basket for a layup.
 
The Lancers turned that torrid start into a 17-point lead at the half, 46-27, as they shot .563 (18-32) from the floor. The team knocked down 4-of-10 attempts from deep and 6-of-7 shots at the line.
 
"We came out aggressive," added Smith. "Coach Tillett asked us to come out aggressive in the first half and I think we did that."
 
The Eagles responded in the third quarter, opening the period on a 22-8 run to get within three points, 54-51 with 4:53 left in the third. Following a Lancer timeout, Longwood answered with a 6-0 run to slow the Winthrop rally and extend the lead back to nine, getting buckets from McMakin, Tra'Dayja Smith and Akila Smith to lead 60-51.
 
Smith's defense helped seal the game for the Lancers in the fourth, as the junior added six shots in the final ten minutes. As a whole, the Lancer defense held the Eagles to just 4-of-18 shooting while forcing four turnovers in the final quarter.
 
Game two of the back-to-back series with the Eagles is set for Saturday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3.

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