Box Score (PDF)

FARMVILLE, Va. – Junior Khalilah Ali stepped up in a big way with her first double-double effort of the season for Longwood, but ultimately All-Southern Conference performer Lucy Mason of UNCG would steal the show as she scored a game-high 24 points.

Ali, a product of Suffolk, Va., scored 10 of her 15 points in the second half and grabbed 10 rebounds, as the Longwood women's basketball team shot 50 percent from the floor, but ultimately was edged in its home opener, 70-64, by UNC Greensboro Monday night inside Willett Hall. The Lancers fall to 0-4 on the young season, while the Spartans improve to 2-2.

"I thought the girls played well offensively," said head coach Bill Reinson. "Besides for a few turnovers, I thought we were very efficient. We were moving the ball, getting good shots and making shots. The disappointing thing is that turnovers continue to plague us. As long as that's the case, it's going to continue to be a struggle. We turned the ball over 26 times and lost by six."

The Lancers had three players score in double figures led by the performance from Ali, while Raven Williams and Kyndal Skersick each tallied 14 points each.

"Ali was terrific," Reinson said. "She should do that every game and we told her that she should do that every game. She was very effective, she boxed out, she played hard. When we threw the ball in the post, she was there to score. She was probably the brightest star of the night for us."

Overall, Longwood shot 25-of-50 (.500) from the floor, including a 14-of-24 (.583) in the second half. Skersick led the squad with four assists, while Williams, Deborah Headen and Brenna Robbins each logged three assists.

"I just wanted to do everything I could tell help my team win by rebounding and scoring in the post like I know I capable of doing," Ali said after finishing the night just one point shy of her career-high of 16 points.  "It was just one of those games where we just came up a little bit short."
Mason paced the Spartan attack with a game-high 24 points, while Jarae Savage added 14 points to aid the Spartans.

UNCG opened the contest with an 8-2 lead at the first media timeout at the 15:45 mark, before the Lancers responded by scoring seven of the next nine points over the next 1:59. The run was sparked by freshman Micaela Ellis, Williams and Headen who combined for all seven of Longwood's points during this stretch.

However, the Spartans immediately answered with an 8-0 run of their own to take their biggest lead of the night of seven points with 9:50 remaining in the opening stanza.
Longwood closed the opening 20 minutes by scoring nine of the final 14 points, as Skersick led the Lancers with five points in this period, including a key three-point play to even the score at 28-all.

Mason gave the Spartans a 32-30 just before the end of the first half to send UNCG to the locker room with a slight two-point advantage. The junior led all players with 10 points, while Skersick paced the Lancers in the opening 20 minutes with nine points.

Longwood opened the second half with a strong start, as the squad opened the first 5:30 with an 18-9 run and hit 8-of-9 shots to open the period. Williams, who was limited in the first half with two personal fouls, scored 10 points during this stretch including two trey's to give the Lancers their largest lead of the night of seven points. Ali also added eight points to fuel the run.  

"I just felt like I had to step up to the plate and play better than I had in our previous games to help my team win," Williams said. I sat on the bench for a lot of the first half with two fouls, so I knew that I had to come out and play with energy to start the second half."

UNCG rallied to take an advantage of four points at the 9:29 mark, but Skersick had her second three-point play of the night to draw the Lancers back within a single point.
After UNCG stretched its lead to as many as five points, the Lancers rallied once again to within one point following a layup from Williams, but UNCG made three free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.  

Up next, the Lancers will pack their bags for three straight road games, as the squad will next travel to William & Mary on Saturday, Nov. 29. The opening tip in Williamsburg, Va., is set for 2 p.m.