JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – One game doesn't define a season, although the result stings in the moment.
But the relationships and connections, those can last a lifetime.
The Longwood women's basketball team fell 81-58 to Radford in the 2026 Air Force Reserve Big South Championship Semifinals, but the single-game result shouldn't overshadow a season that has had plenty of high-water marks.
The Lancers posted back-to-back 20-win campaigns for the first time in more than a quarter century. And the team did so with a family connection that powered one of the top pressing units in the country.
"It makes it easier to be around each other, play for each other, giving your all, knowing that you've got people behind you that will do the same thing for you," said Longwood graduate
Malea Brown about the team's tight-knit culture.
"I would say it is bigger than basketball," added redshirt-senior
Jasmine Peaks. "This can be over, but we are still going to have each other after."
On the day, shots just didn't go in. Brown had 16 points, and Peaks added 13 for Longwood (21-10), but the Radford (22-11) defense kept a Lancer offense that averaged north of 77 points per game off track all night.
Meanwhile, the Highlanders were able to handle the Longwood press that was one of the best at forcing turnovers in the country and feed Big South Freshman of the Year Georgia Simonsen, who finished with 20 points on 10-14 shooting.
"Disappointed that we didn't perform better for 40 minutes," said Longwood Head Coach
Erika Lang-Montgomery. "I thought we had a strong opening quarter. We definitely didn't show up the way we wanted to show up tonight, and so I'm disappointed because I have an amazing group of young women, five seniors that will be leaving us. And I'm disappointed that they don't get to move forward in this tournament."
The senior group of Brown, Peaks,
Jaci Bolden,
Frances Ulysse and
JaMya Robinson were part of an eclectic group that helped guide the rebuild of Lancer basketball under Lang-Montgomery.
"I've been here for a while, and I like the Longwood community, my team, my coaches," said Brown. "They make you feel at home when you are far away from home, and I like the culture and what we have built up this far."
It was a culture that saw the Lancers return nine players from a season ago as one of only 19 teams in the nation not to lose a player to the transfer portal. Instead, the group was welcoming to newcomers like Peaks.
"For me, it was my first year, and I enjoyed it," Peaks said. "They brought me in with open arms, and I was around family, so it was really nice to spend my last year here."
That tight-knit group won 11 league games for a second straight season for only the second time since joining the Big South thanks to the trademark pressure that has powered 43 wins in the past two seasons.
"All of them are part of the turnaround," said Lang-Montgomery. "They came in and took a chance, saw an opportunity where they could impact [us] and leave their mark, leave their legacy. That's something that we talk about. When you come into the program, what do you want to do between your dashes. And I think that they've done a great job in their time at Longwood.
"We jokingly say that our family, we're a variety pack. There's different types of chips in our box. We've got a lot of unique personalities, and that's what I will miss the most. Every day was a fun day."
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