Longwood University Athletics

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Longwood women's basketball rallied in the fourth quarter for a second straight game, but this time it came up short on the road.
 
One game after the Lancers (18-7, 9-3 Big South) rallied to take down the league leaders at High Point, a late charge couldn't overcome 27 points and 12 rebounds from Winthrop's Amourie Porter.
 
Porter helped the Eagles (12-15, 5-8 Big South) build an 18-point advantage through three quarters with her eruption as Winthrop shot better than 50 percent from the floor for the game.
 
That was enough to overcome three Lancers in double figures as both Jesstynie Scott and Malea Brown led Longwood with 11 points apiece, and Amor Harris added 10 points.
 
However, Winthrop's defense limited Longwood to 39 percent shooting on the day.
 
"We are a good basketball team that underperformed today, which is disappointing as the coach of the team," said Longwood Head Coach Erika Lang-Montgomery. "Winthrop played hard. They outhustled and out-toughed us today. Our sense of urgency was not great until it was too late, which is unfortunate. The effort I saw to close the third quarter and start the fourth is what I expected to see for the whole game. This is a learning opportunity if we allow it to be. Time to get back to work to prepare for a very hungry Gardner-Webb team."
 
Despite the slow start, the Lancers found a way back into the game and trimmed the lead to single digits in the fourth quarter.
 
Longwood's defense helped the team open the quarter on a 10-2 run to cut an 18-point lead to nine. Otaifo Esenebhalu had four of the team's 10 in that stretch. She also had 11 rebounds in the game.
 
However Porter put home four straight free throws, and Winthrop was able to fend off the Lancers in the closing minutes of the contest.
 
Longwood returns home to host Gardner-Webb on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. It is Longwood's Day of Giving, and the game will air on ESPN+.
 
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