November 13, 2009

Box Score

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Longwood University women's basketball team dropped its season opener at Virginia Tech 77-55 on Friday night in Blacksburg. Senior Becky Fernandes/Fort Belvoir (Bishop Ireton) led the Lancers with 12 points while freshman Chelsea Coward/Mechanicsville (Hanover) added 11 in her collegiate debut. Longwood returns to action on Monday, November 16, when it hosts USC Upstate at 7 p.m. in Willett Hall on campus in Farmville in the home opener.

Longwood (0-1) stayed close at the beginning of the game as both defenses controlled the early action. A three-pointer by Coward with 11:22 remaining in the first half gave the Lancers' their only lead of the game at 15-13. Virginia Tech used a 16-2 run over the next 6:32 to take a 29-17 lead with 4:50 remaining in the first half. The Hokies carried a 34-19 lead in to halftime.

The Lancers cut the lead to nine at 34-25 with 18:36 remaining in the game on a Krystal Garrison/Fredericksburg (Courtland) fast break layup. That was as close as Longwood get as the lead ballooned to 24 points before the game ended at 77-55.

Fernandes led the team with 12 points and added three assists and three rebounds. Garrison finished with seven points and a team-high seven rebounds, all on the defensive end. Longwood went 7-for-23 from the floor in the first half and finished the game at 21-55 (38.2%). Brittanni Billups/Goldsboro, N.C. (Eastern Wayne) and Morgan Smith/Williamsport, Md. (Williamsport) each scored seven points.

Longwood started two freshman in Heather Tobeck/La Porte, Texas (La Porte) and Crystal Smith/Richmond (Meadowbrook). Tobeck scored two points in 28 minutes and blocked six shots, the most blocks by a Longwood player in a single game in the last six seasons. Crystal Smith scored one point on and grabbed one rebound in 16 minutes.