FARMVILLE, Va. – Down by one with one quarter to go, Longwood rallied back and secured the win 86-75 over Gardner-Webb, getting them back from a buzzer-beating blow the last time these teams met. Going into the fourth quarter Gardner-Webb was able to get its first lead of the game, by one, with less than a minute to go in the third quarter. Longwood had something to say about it shortly after.

Kyla McMakin had a season high, almost beating her single-game career record, with 33 points, 15 of those points in the fourth quarter comeback for the Lancers (8-10, 5-2 Big South). McMakin was 12-24 from the field, and 4-9 from beyond the arch. This game marked her first game all season with at least 30 points, and she partnered that with seven rebounds, one assists, two steals, and one block.

Akila Smith came to life in the final 10 minutes of the game alongside McMakin, scoring 12 of her final 18 points in the fourth. Smith was 9-13 from the field, adding to Longwood's .527 shooting percentage from field goal range. Though quiet throughout the game on offense, Smith also added four blocks and six rebounds to her resume.

Longwood was able to go on a 9-4 run with less than four minutes left in the game stretching the gap large enough to get the win over a Gardner-Webb team that started the day near the top of the conference standings. Tra'Dayja Smith, Kennedy Calhoun, and Anne-Hamilton LeRoy also had exceptional performances offensively and factored into the last plays of the game. LeRoy hit two sets of free throws as the last two plays for the Lancers, ensuring the home side would see victory over Gardner-Webb (7-11, 5-2 Big South). In the last meeting between the Lancers and the Runnin' Bulldogs, LeRoy missed three straight late in the game - but she drained them this time. 

On the opposing side, foul trouble got the best of Gardner-Webb in the mid third quarter. Both Lauren Bevis, Gardner-Webb's leading scorer, and Layken Cox both received their fourth foul with more than three minutes left in the third.

Bevis finished with 21 points before taking a seat on the bench in the mid fourth quarter. Teammates Cox, Alasia Smith, Ki'Ari Cain, and Jhessyka Williams all scored in double –digits. The Bulldogs shot 93.3 percent from the free throw line and 39.7 from the field, and despite the equal distribution of scoring amongst the Running Bulldogs, it still wasn't enough to stop a hot Lancer offense that shot it's best percentage from behind the arch all season,  going 9-17 (.529).

Less than 24 hours from the next game, the Lancers quick turnaround puts them back in Willett Hall against Winthrop at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

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