FARMVILLE, Va. – On the heels of Longwood's loss to Radford Tuesday night, Lancers head coach
Bill Reinson challenged his squad ahead of its battle against two-time reigning Big South champion UNC Asheville.
It's safe to say that Reinson's team answered that challenge Saturday afternoon inside Willett Hall.
Winning their third game in a five game span, the red-hot Lancers (6-21, 4-12 Big South) took down the Bulldogs 67-54 to secure back-to-back home wins behind the 11th double-double of the season from
Autumn Childress and double figure scoring games from
Dayna Rouse and
Kate Spradlin.
"I'm really proud of the ladies," said Longwood head coach
Bill Reinson. "When you play as poorly as we did on Tuesday, it says a lot about our character to give the effort we did today. We committed to the game plan and kept our focus for the entire 40 minutes."
Childress led the way for the Lancers with her Division I record-tying 11th double-double of the season, as the senior guard finished with 16 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. That performance helped her match the 11 double-doubles that
Chelsea Coward posted during Longwood's 2012-13 season, aiding the Lancers to the Big South Championship game.
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"I know what I can contribute every time I step onto the court and if that's producing a double-double than I believe to do it," Childress said. "It feels good to tie the Division I record for most double-doubles in a season, but it's an even better feeling to do it with a win."
Ellis, who had a near double-double with seven points, nine assists to move to eighth-place on Longwood's all-time assist charts.
Dayna Rouse scored 14 points while
Kate Spradlin added 13, as the Lancers had eight different players score in the game.
"My teammates just knocked down shots today," Ellis said. "I was just trying to find people who were open and get them the ball. With my shot not really falling, I wanted to get other people involved to help us get production on the offensive end."
That performance from Longwood's two seniors helped the Lancers outlast a 22-point, 13 rebound double-double effort from UNC Asheville forward Bronaza Fitzgerald, along with 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting from Khaila Webb.
"Asheville is one of the best teams in the league," Reinson said. "They're tough, physical and play extremely hard. We wanted to match their energy today and I think we did that."
Childress continues her senior surge, as she added two assists to her 16-point, 12 rebound performance. That effort, along with six double figure scoring games in her last eight games played has helped Childress increase her scoring average to 11.0 points per game while she has added 10.5 boards on top of it.
"Autumn had another outstanding game," Reinson said. "She continues to score and rebound as well as anyone in the conference."
A product of Oak Park, Mich., Ellis passed Ann Callaham with her nine assists for eighth-place on Longwood's all-time assists charts. For Ellis, who has averaged 13.4 points in Longwood's last five, her nine assists led directly to 20 points for the Lancers.
"Micaela was a general on the floor," Reinson said. "She didn't shoot it very well, but she delivered the ball on time all day long."
Childress, with her 11th double-double despite missing seven games in her senior season, and Ellis, with her recent scoring surge, have the Lancers playing their best basketball of the season with a week remaining in the regular season.
Those two seniors helped spur Longwood's defensive effort helped the Lancers hold Asheville in check, limiting the Bulldogs to a .316 shooting clip for the game. The Lancers limited the Bulldogs under .400 shooting in three of four quarters and held Asheville to just 4-of-21 from beyond the arc.
"We're hitting our stride right now as we're closing in on the end of the regular season," Ellis said. "Obviously, I wish the season had gone better and we had a lot more wins, but to hit our stride at the right time heading into the tournament is a good feeling. We're able to compete with these high-level teams."
Meanwhile, Rouse secured her fifth game in double figures, scoring 10 of her 14 points in the third quarter, as she stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, seven rebounds and two blocks in 16 minutes.
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"When
Dayna Rouse plays like she did today, it makes a huge difference in our team," Reinson said. "She is so talented. Because she can score inside and out, she's a difficult matchup."
Spradlin had six points in the final quarter, as Longwood outscored UNC Asheville by a 24-11 margin and shot .769 from the floor in the final period to collect its second straight win inside Willett Hall. Spradlin helped Longwood's 16-0 run in the opening 6:47 of the final quarter.
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"They were playing Kate for the outside shot and she did a great job of attacking the basket," Reinson said.
Longwood looks to continue its late-season surge, as the Lancers make the short trip to first-place Liberty Tuesday night. That game is set for a 7 p.m. opening tip. Â
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