FARMVILLE, Va. — The Longwood women's basketball team opened the 2026-27 season in emphatic fashion Monday, rolling past the Apprentice School 96-27 at the Joan Perry Brock Center.
The Lancers (1-0) overwhelmed the Builders on both ends of the floor, forcing 46 turnovers and converting those miscues into 44 points. Longwood also controlled the paint, holding a 68-10 advantage in points inside, while its bench contributed 55 points.
"Really excited to get to play again," Longwood head coach Erika Lang-Montgomery said. "When you have a new team, as many new faces as we have this year, you kind of are chomping it a bit to get going.
"And so I'm really excited that we were able to come away with the win tonight, so some good things from a lot of people. I think we were able to play everyone who was dressed and available and really happy with the way the night went."
Longwood set the tone immediately, scoring the game's first 13 points before Apprentice got on the board with 6:18 remaining in the opening quarter. Idaysia Mercer knocked down a 3-pointer to make it 11-0, McKayla Hosley followed with a fast-break layup and Maddy Little and Nal'La Bennett added 3-pointers to extend the advantage. Kayla Washington capped the first quarter with a basket in the final seconds, giving the Lancers a 27-8 lead.
The Lancers continued to build their advantage in the second quarter, using a balanced offensive attack to push the margin to 49-19 at halftime. Longwood closed the half on a 10-2 run, with Shakira Gresham, McKenna Hoyt and other Lancers contributing baskets around the rim.
The defensive pressure intensified after the break. Longwood opened the third quarter with a 12-0 run, turning the halftime edge into a commanding 61-19 advantage. The Lancers forced multiple turnovers during the stretch, with Jesstynie Scott and London Harvey among those creating opportunities. Longwood held Apprentice to just four points in the third quarter and carried a 67-23 lead into the final period.
"It's something that we try really hard to simulate in practice," Lang-Montgomery said of the her team's smothering defense. "It can be challenging at times, so it was good for them to see the results of it against a lot of opponents, and so now I think that will make us hungrier to continue to put in the work to get better at it. Believe it or not, we weren't as good as we could be tonight."
Longwood saved another offensive surge for the fourth, scoring the first six points to push its lead to 73-23. The Lancers continued to capitalize on turnovers and second-chance opportunities, with Bennett connecting on two 3-pointers and Hosley adding another from beyond the arc. Bennett's second 3-pointer made it 86-25, and Longwood cruised from there.
Five Lancers reached double figures, led by McKenna Hoyt with 13 points. Bennett added 12 points, including four 3-pointers, while Hosley scored 11. Washington and Harvey each finished with 10 points, with Harvey also recording a game-high 16 rebounds for a double-double in her first collegiate start as a sophomore.
"It was more than I can expect from my first game," Harvey said. "Of course, I did end with 16 rebounds and 10 points, but I would really love to do even better than I did because I believe that I could. So I take pride in what I did tonight, but I look forward to getting even better and more rebounds and more finishes."
Scott contributed nine points, nine steals and six assists — both career highs — while Gresham added eight points, six rebounds and four assists. Longwood finished with 27 steals and 20 assists as a team.
The Lancers held Apprentice to just eight in the second half.
Longwood is back at Friday against Virginia Union in its Homecoming & Alumni Weekend game. Tip is set for 8 p.m., at the Joan Perry Brock Center and will be streamed on ESPN+.
