FARMVILLE, Va. – The Longwood Lancers women's basketball team lost a closely contested game to the Winthrop Eagles by a score of 69-58. Adriana Shipp-Davis led the way with 23 points while Janay Turner poured in 20 in tonight's loss.
 
Longwood Statistical Leaders
 
Points: Adriana Shipp-Davis (23)
Rebounds: Adriana Shipp-Davis (7)
Assists: Bailey Williams (4)
Steals: Adriana Shipp-Davis (4)
 

HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
Longwood (5-17, 4-7) found themselves facing a deficit early on, as Winthrop (5-16, 3-7) quickly jumped out to an 8-0 lead courtesy of six points from Shamyjha Price. The lead wouldn't last long for the Eagles, who fell victim to a 10-2 Lancers run to tie the game at ten apiece. Janay Turner was instrumental in the opening frame, beginning her night going three for three from beyond the arc. Despite chipping into their deficit during the quarter, a late Winthrop run put the Eagles ahead 23-15 after one.

Turner picked up where she left off to begin the second, scoring Longwood's first five points on mid-range and three-point jumpers. The Eagles were quick to respond, as Jada Ryce knocked down a three of her own to put Winthrop back up by ten. The two teams battled in what was becoming a gritty and defensive contest, with Winthrop consistently maintaining the lead. Adriana Shipp-Davis buried a deep triple with only three seconds left in the half to send Longwood to the locker room trailing 34-32.

Winthrop quickly extended their lead to seven in the opening minute and a half of play, but Longwood kept crawling back into it. The third quarter provided a similar story to the first half, that being small runs by Longwood to cut into the Winthrop lead followed by a response from the away team. The Lancers came within three and four points at different points in the quarter thanks to generating turnovers on the other end of the floor. Despite their efforts, the Winthrop was response was inevitable, and Longwood trailed 51-45 headed into the final frame.

Longwood strung together several defensive stops to begin the final quarter and scored the first points of the frame thanks to a Shipp-Davis made jumper. However, Paige Powell and the Winthrop defense locked in down the stretch, holding the Lancers scoreless for over three minutes of play. Longwood started aggressively attacking the basket, leading to many trips to the line in the final minutes. However, the damage had already been done, and Winthrop held on to pick up their second win over Longwood this season.
 

WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"Janay is playing some really good basketball right now," said head coach Erika Lang-Montgomery on Janay Turner's great offensive night. "She's really stepped it up the last four or five games for us. She finds opportunities to score and takes advantage of them."

"Offensively, it means our execution has got to be really good," said Lang-Montgomery on the low rebounding totals for both teams. "Even though we did have some offensive rebounds, we've got to do a better job of knocking down our shots."

"We really need to step up and have some pride in our defense," said Lang-Montgomery. "Offensively, we can score the ball, but we've got to figure out how to get consecutive stops and not allow teams to get early leads."
 

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
 
Today's game marked the 26^th all-time Division-I matchup between the Lancers and Eagles, with Winthrop leading the series 16-10.
 
Longwood shot 88.9% from the free throw line, breaking their previous season best of 87.5% from the game before.
 
Adriana Shipp-Davis' 23 points marks her sixth game scoring 20+ this season.
 
Janay Turner's 20 points mark her fifth consecutive double-digit scoring output.
 
Longwood bested Winthrop in the offensive rebounding category 13-9.
 
 
UP NEXT:
 
The Lancers hit the road to take on the Campbell Camels on Saturday, February 4^th. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. in Buies Creek, N.C.
 
Tickets for the Big South Championships in Charlotte, N.C. on March 1-5 are now available at this link!

#GoWood