Box Score

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Longwood University women's basketball team dropped a 69-52 decision at Big South Conference opponent UNC Asheville (10-15, 7-9) on Saturday afternoon. The Lancers pulled within six points with 10 minutes still to play at Kimmel Arena before being outscored, 22-11, throughout the remainder of the contest. Sophomore Kyndal Skersick/Orlando logged a team-best 11 points and six rebounds in the decision, while classmate Deborah Headen/Herndon, Va. added 10 points and five boards. Paige Love and Brittany Gwyn recorded a game-high 13 points apiece to pace Asheville in the victory. Longwood (7-19, 4-13) will close the regular season with three games at home beginning on Thursday, February 20 when the squad welcomes Winthrop University to Willett Hall for a 7 p.m. tilt.

"We were sluggish all day and never really got into a groove," said head coach Bill Reinson. "We kept it close, but weren't able to capitalize from the free throw line and that allowed them to stretch the lead. Asheville made the plays when they needed to and we just seemed stuck in the mud all day."

The Bulldogs logged the first bucket of the game, but freshman Brenna Robbins/Erie, Pa. hit a put-back layup and sophomore Daeisha Brown/Richmond scored in transition to give the Lancers a 4-2 edge in the opening minutes of play. The squads traded possessions and points, tying on two occasions before UNCA broke away with a 9-0 spurt that spanned five minutes to give the home squad a 17-10 lead at 9:19. Headen ended the silence for Longwood with a floater from the paint, and although Skersick completed a three-point play, Asheville scored five-consecutive points on either side of her basket to take its largest lead of the half at 27-15 with less than seven minutes to play. Skersick answered for the Lancers once again, hitting a big three, before Robbins knocked down a jumper to cut the difference back to single-digits, but a three-pointer gave the Bulldogs an 11-point advantage at 31-20 with just over four minutes to go. Longwood continued to battle back, using a rejection from Skersick to create a three-ball opportunity for Robbins and cap an 11-5 run, giving UNCA just a 36-31 buffer at the break.

Asheville tallied eight of the first 11 points of the second half to take a 44-34 lead at 14:11. Sophomore Raven Williams/Richmond and Headen scored back-to-back buckets as part of a quick, 7-3 spurt for the Lancers to pull within six, but UNCA followed with a 14-6 run of their own over the next six minutes to take a 61-47 margin at 4:37. In the final minutes, Skersick drained her final three-point jumper of the day and Headen converted on a pair of free throws, but Asheville added eight more points of its own to secure the 69-52 decision.

Skersick blocked a pair of shots and notched one steal in addition to her team-best 11 points. Brown and Robbins added to the offensive effort for Longwood with nine points apiece, tying a season-high for Robbins. Freshman Treasure Avery/Lincolnton, N.C. pulled down six boards to tie the team-high, as well. As a team, the Lancers shot 27% (17-63) from the floor, including 25% (4-16) from beyond the arc, and 47% (14-30) from the line in the outing.

Leah Wormack rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Bulldogs with 10 points on the day. Jeannie Buckner paced the team on the glass with nine boards in the decision. As a whole, Asheville shot 39% (25-64) from the field, 29% (4-14) from three-point territory and 83% (15-18) from the foul line.

Saturday's contest marked the seventh meeting ever between Longwood and Asheville in the sport of women's basketball. The Lancers still hold a slight, 4-3 advantage in the all-time series.