SPARTANBURG, S.C. --It's been seven years since Longwood women's basketball experienced a start like this, but it's uncharted territory that's welcome to the resurgent Lancers. 

Behind five double-figure scorers and a game-high 16 points from freshman standout Kyla McMakin, Longwood took down USC Upstate 70-62 to improve to 4-1 in the Big South for the first time since the Lancers' inaugural season in the conference in 2012-13. The win is Longwood's sixth in the past seven games and has the Lancers (8-6, 4-1 Big South) as a surprise frontrunner through the first quarter of the Big South schedule. 

Longwood (8-6, 4-1 Big South) led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter and outlasted a late charge by a Spartan offense led by Riley Popplewell, who scored 15 of her 17 points in the second half. The Spartans (6-9, 1-5 Big South) went on a 6-0 run with three minutes in the final frame and cut Longwood's lead to three points when Anda Kuzmina scored her only basket of the contest. Junior Tra'Dayja Smith then grabbed a rebound, dribbled the length of the floor, and found McMakin open in the corner for her second three-pointer of the game.

McMakin's trey put Longwood back ahead by two possessions for the rest of the game, and fellow newcomers Allysah 'Cookie' Boothe and Smith combined to hit 4-of-4 free throws in the final minute of the game to secure the victory. 

"Today taught us a lot, Upstate had a great game-plan against us and kept coming at us," said head coach Rebecca Tillett. "I think we have to critically look at our foul trouble and be more disciplined in not fouling teams. Having teams score on you when the clock is stopped is not what you want to do. It was a tough win on the road and you never take for granted getting a win on the road. Tra'Dayja Smith was incredible for us in managing today's game down the stretch."

"It was an important win for us at this point in the season. The way we had to win will help us down the stretch in conference play— the fact we overcame adversity, came together, got people off the bench to contribute in meaningful ways. I am excited about our team that we were able to do this in that environment."

Longwood is now within four victories of matching the program's Big South wins record with 15 conference games remaining. 

Five Lancers finished in double-figures with McMakin leading the way, scoring 12 of her 16 points in the second half. Tra'Dayja Smith, fresh off a triple-double in Thursday's 20-point win over Charleston Southern, finished 5-of-9 from the floor with 14 points and a team-high six assists.

Dayna Rouse (12), Anne-Hamilton LeRoy (11), and Akila Smith (10) joined McMakin and Tra'Dayja Smith with double-digit scoring performances, marking the first time since February 23, 2019, that four or more Lancers finished in double figures. 

Longwood's defense continued its trend of holding opponents below 40 percent shooting from the floor with USC Upstate converting on only 30 percent of its shots. The Lancers finished with six blocks, exceeding their Big South leading average of 5.7 blocks per game. Andrijana Reljic led the team with three blocks while adding four rebounds to her defensive performance. 

"So much of what we do in college athletics is how you respond to adversity," added Tillett. "I thought our women collectively really responded today.  Reljic played well and came in and gave us good minutes that we needed. LeRoy handled the pressure well, and McMakin got going for us late in the game."

With five games in Big South Conference play completed, Longwood will shift their attention to the Big South Preseason favorite, Radford University, on Education Day, January 14. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m., and fans will want to be in their seats early as the Lancers attempt to break the single-game attendance record for women's basketball! 

"I think a lot is going into our next game, we get to play the preseason No. 1 pick, Radford, who is also an in-state rival, with the chance to break the attendance record," finished Tillett. "I think we are two different styles of teams, so there will be a clash of style. I am looking forward to the opportunity for our women and our community."

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