December 15, 2007
BOX SCORE
FARMVILLE, Va.-- Longwood University women’s basketball collected a 66-57 win over Gardner-Webb Saturday afternoon in Willett Hall. The Lancers (6-6) were led by Keiva Small’s/ Norfolk (Norview) game-high 23 points and six assists while Gardner-Webb’s (2-9) Margaret Roundtree and Laura Povilonyte each recorded 15 points. The Lancers will host VCU Friday, December 21, in a 3 p.m. match-up before heading into the Holiday Break.
Longwood came out of the first media timeout and jumped ahead 8-3 after Small made a steal on the defensive end and finished on the other side of the court for the five point lead with 15:24 left in the half. The Runnin’ Bulldogs’ Meranda Burnett hit a three on the following possession to bring the game back to two points. The Lancers put together a 17-2 run the next five minutes to take their biggest lead of the afternoon 17, capped by freshman Cierra Baker’s/Windsor, Conn. (Windsor) lay-up. Sophomore Becky Fernandes/Fairfax (Bishop Ireton) was key on both sides of the court during the run, forcing the Gardner-Webb guards to turnover the ball in the backcourt to help the Lancers build a 25-8 lead with 9:40 left to go in the half.
After a jump shot by senior Odessa Williams/Stratford, Conn. (Stratford) fell to put the score at 27-10 with 8:44 on the clock, Gardner-Webb began to claw its way back in the game as the Lancer shooters were unable to collect a point from the floor for the next 8:28. The Runnin’ Bulldogs brought the game back to one possession after Roundtree hit a jumper with 1:55 remaining in the half. Junior Amber Sims/Lawrenceville (Brunswick Senior) broke the Longwood drought, hitting a pair of free throws with less than thirty seconds remaining in the half. Small made a steal on the following Runnin’ Bulldogs inbounds and layed in a shot to give the home squad a 31-25 lead at he break.
Longwood scored on its first possession of the half, as Baker took a pass inside from Small and sunk the lay-up for the 33-25 score in the opening seconds of the second half. Povilonyte tied the game at 41 with 14:34 left in the game, hitting a jump shot from ten feet out. Longwood took all the momentum in the next four minutes, putting together a 15-3 run capped by a three pointer by freshman Krystal Garrison/Fredericksburg (Courtland) sending the teams into the second media timeout of the half with the score at 56-44 with 7:58 to go in the game.
After Gardner-Webb brought the deficit back to an one possession game with 4:49 left, Fernandes hit a jumper just inside the arc to give the Lancers a five point lead. Small and junior Anna Steg/Vienna (George C. Marshall) hit timely free throws for the Lancers late in the game to build the lead back to seven points, pushing the game out of reach of the Bulldogs.
Fernandes finished the game with ten points and was one steal shy of a double-double recording nine and pulled down a team high eight rebounds. Steg was strong inside, pulling down seven rebounds in the win. The Lancers shot 42.6% from the floor while Gardner-Webb shot 43.9%.
