1.7.2012

Box Score

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Longwood University picked up its first women's basketball road victory of the season with a 59-48 win at the United States Air Force Academy on Saturday afternoon in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Junior Crystal Smith|Richmond (Meadowbrook) led four Longwood players in double-figures with a season-high 24 points, while classmate Chelsea Coward|Mechanicsville (Hanover) added her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Lancers (3-15) went 10-for-12 from the foul line in the final four minutes of the game to seal the victory and snap a nine-game losing streak. Air Force (5-10) was led by Megan O'Neil with 10 points. Longwood returns to action on Tuesday, January 10, when it wraps up a nine-day, three-game road trip at Utah Valley University at 9 p.m. ET in Orem, Utah.

Air Force jumped out to an 11-2 lead with 14:47 remaining in the first half, but the Lancers answered with an 8-0 run over the next 4:30 to cut the lead to 11-10 with 10:17 remaining in the half. The hosts extended the lead to 13-10, but Longwood scored the next six points to lead lead 16-13 with 8:48 remaining in the half. Alicia Leipprandt made a pair of free throws to cut the lead to one, but the Lancers out-scored the Falcons 8-3 over the final 7:22 to lead 24-18 at halftime. The hosts only made one shot from the field in the final 10 minutes of the first half.

Longwood led 24-20 with 18:46 remaining in the game, then went on a 10-0 run over the next 3:09, capped by a three-pointer by junior Mieke Elkington|Hamilton, New Zealand (Cochise College). The Lancers extended the lead to as many as 16 points (38-22) after a pair of free throws by Elkington with 12:50 remaining. Air Force slowly chipped away at the lead and cut it to eight (41-33) with 7:02 remaining. Junior Heather Tobeck|La Porte, Texas (La Porte) hit a pair of free throws, then Elkington added a pair to bush the advantage to 12 with 5:34 remaining. The Falcons cut the lead to seven (49-42) with 2:29 remaining, but the teams traded pairs of free throws the rest of the way until Crystal Smith made the final four foul shots of the game to secure the victory. Smith went 11-for-14 from the foul line in the second half, including 8-for-10 in the final 2:10.

Crystal Smith scored a season-high 24 points (6-18 FG, 1-5 3FG, 11-14 FT) and added a career-high seven steals, and season-highs of seven rebounds and five assists. Coward scored 10 points (3-11 FG, 4-4 FT) with a season-high 11 rebounds and a career-high four steals. Tobeck scored 11 points with a season-high seven rebounds, while Elkington added 13 points, six rebounds and a career-best five steals. Longwood shot 29.6% (16-54) from the floor, including 23.1% (3-13) from behind the arc, and 80% (24-30) from the foul line. The Lancers out-rebounded Air Force 46-39 and scored 15 second-chance points. Longwood turned 24 Air Force turnovers in to 22 points. The Lancers recorded a season-high 17 steals and added seven assists and four blocks.

O'Neil paced the Falcons with 10 points (3-7 FG, 4-6 FT), while Jamela Satterfield added seven points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Alicia Leipprandt entered the game averaging 15.9 points but the Lancers held her to six points, all from the foul line. Air Force shot 27.6% (16-58) from the floor, including 25% (1-4) from behind the arc, and 83.3% (15-18) from the foul line. The Falcons recorded 15 steals and 11 assists and turned 24 Longwood turnovers in to 13 points.