FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood women's basketball started slow in their first two games of the season and first-year head coach Rebecca Tillett said her team responded to the situation too late in those games.
 
The Lancers made sure that wasn't the case in their third game of the season.
 
Paced by a fast start that saw Longwood shoot .625 (10-of-16) from the floor in the first quarter, the Lancers earned an 83-71 win over Maryland Eastern Shore Tuesday night inside Willett Hall to hand Tillett her first career win as Longwood head coach.
 
"I'm so happy for our women and the work that they've put in with the long break," Tillett said. "We embraced the work that it takes to get an opportunity to be in a game like this and come out on the successful end."
 
That first quarter performance saw Mallory Odell and Ciarah Bennett combine for 15 of Longwood's 23 points, as the Lancers hit five of their first seven shots on the heels of a 13-day layoff between games. Odell collected her first career double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds to pace five Lancers in double figures.
 
"It was a big point of emphasis for us to start the game strong and to be mentally ready," Odell said. "A few of our shots fell early and we just gained momentum from that start and built on it."
 
The production in Tillett's first career win as a collegiate head coach was spread throughout the lineup, as Dayna Rouse scored a game-high 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting, while Bennett scored 17 points and added a game-high seven assists. Khaila Hall added 14 points and two assists off the bench while Stephanie Guihon pitched in with 11 points and four assists.
 
"We want to share the ball offensively and we challenged them as a staff to have higher assist numbers," Tillett said. "I wanted people to see what we see in a practice setting and today we were able to do that."
 
Longwood was able to overcome a double-double performance of 18 points, 10 rebounds from Maryland Eastern Shore's (1-2) Bairesha Gill-Miles and 15 points, six assists from Ciani Byrom.
 
The Lancer defense had its top performance of the season, limiting the Hawks to .338 (23-68) shooting from the floor.
 
"Maryland Eastern Shore is a quality team that has a lot of good talent," Tillett said. "We had to really prepare ourselves for this game."
 
With Maryland Eastern Shore putting the last gasp on its comeback attempt, Rouse and Bennett put the Lancers on their backs, combining for eight of Longwood's last 11 points after the Hawks pulled within seven points.  That performance brought Rouse within one point of her career-high of 23 points, securing her second career game at the 20-point mark.
 
Meanwhile, Odell scored in double figures for the third straight game to produce her first career double-double and matching the number of games she had in 2017-18 as a freshman. Finishing 4-of-9 from the floor with 11 points and 10 rebounds, Odell has led the Lancers with a .419 shooting clip.
 
"I've been doing a good job of staying focused and keeping my composure during the game," Odell said. "I just enjoy the fact that I get to contribute to my team."
 
Bennett finished three points off her career-best mark of 20 points with 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting. The Camden, N.J. product added seven assists that led to 16 Longwood points while also coming up with three steals and finishing 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.
 
"CeCe [Ciarah Bennett] for a senior point guard is incredible," Tillett said. "She doubled her assist-to-turnover ratio, finished with seven assists. It was a really impressive game for her."
 
The Lancers continue their stretch of three games in five days with a quick turnaround, as the squad travels to Old Dominion Thursday, Nov. 29. That game is set for an 11 a.m. opening tip.
 
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