FARMVILLE, Va. – A dominating second half by the Longwood women's basketball team push them past North Carolina A&T Wednesday night, 85-71. Going into halftime all squared up, a second half team effort led the way for the Lancers to sweet victory.

"We put a lot into this game. Last time we played them they didn't have their top three scorers, but it was really about showing everybody in the Big South who we really are and that we can compete with every team," said sophomore forward Brooke Anya. "It was a really big game for us, and good team win."
 
Momentum shifted at the whistle in the third quarter when the Lancers (14-11, 11-3 Big South) took over out of the gate on a 9-0 run, advancing to 12-4 over the first half of the quarter. Akila Smith did a substantial amount of scoring for the Lancers and grabbed herself a 23 point game, going 11-17 from the field, all while adding five steals and three blocks.

"I think the teams really happy right now, obviously never satisfied until we get the Big South championship, but it was really fun," said sophomore Briana Johns. "I think everyone played really well tonight, coming off the bench and all starters."
 
Following Smith, it was Kyla McMakin rising from ashes in the second half. McMakin went into halftime with only a bucket to her name, but cashed in 11 points in the second half to help pave the way to a double-digit victory over the Aggies.
 
Tra'Dayja Smith joined in on the fun grabbing her first double-double of the season. She hit two shots from behind the arch and three from the paint and finished with 10 points and 10 assists. Smith added five of those assists in the first quarter alone. Briana Johns, Kennedy Calhoun, Brooke Anya, Anne-Hamilton LeRoy and Adriana Shipp all contributed to the score in the 14 point victory over the opposing team.
 
For North Carolina A&T (12-13, 9-6), after seven weeks since seeing the Lancers last, the tempo caught up to the team in the back half of the game. Missing three of their leading scorers in the previous matchup, tonight the roster was full, but it remained not enough.
 
Leading the pack for the Aggies was Jazmin Harris with 18 points and six rebounds. Right behind Harris was Chanin Scott and Sean Kelly Darks with a pair of 13 point performances. The Aggies finished .448 from the field and .875 from the charity stripe, but outworked by the Lancers second chances pushed the home team to victory on their home court.

"It's so close right now, and there are a lot more teams we are going to have to compete with," said Anya. "We just have to keep showing them who we are and that we deserve to be in those top two spots."

"We know what we are capable of," said Johns. "We have really taken the time to understand we are a good team, and that showed today. We just have to play like us, and if we play like we did tonight on Saturday then I think as a whole team we can be unstoppable."
 
Along with the win, Wednesday night had it's addition of flare with two special topics on the agenda. The Lancers dedicated the night to Women's Empowerment, and the celebration of 50 years since the passing of Title IX.
 
The night also commemorated two members of the team who both have joined a prestigious club at Longwood – a club only 22 other women can claim they are a part of. Backing up their new title on Wednesday night, Smith and McMakin were honored as the two newest members of the 1,000 point club at Longwood. The duo have both surpassed the mark and averaged double digits in the scoring column in each of the past two years. They were both honored with a basketball commemorating the accomplishment with the date they did so on it (Smith: at Radford 1/29/22, and McMakin: vs. UNC Asheville 3/8/21).
 
Longwood's next opponent is another opponent they haven't seen for almost two months. The Lancers will play Presbyterian on Saturday at 3 p.m. to kick off the basketball double-header this weekend. The game will also be Longwood's Alumnae Game.
 
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