CLINTON, S.C. - For the second time in program history, Longwood's women's basketball program will begin Big South Conference play 2-0 after defeating Presbyterian College on the road, 71-60. 

Longwood leaned on senior Dayna Rouse and freshman Kyla McMakin offensively against the Blue Hose. The duo combined for 36 of Longwood's (6-5, 2-0 Big South) 71 points in the victory, with Rouse leading the way with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the court.  

After establishing a 21-13 lead after the first frame with Tra'Dayja Smith knocking down the only three-pointer of the game for the Lancers to contribute to her five points in the first quarter, adding two assists, and two steals in the first 10-minutes of action.

 Presbyterian (4-8, 0-3 Big South) battled back in the second quarter and held the Lancers to six points during the stretch. The Blue Hose leaned on Bria Gibbs, Kacie Hall, and Jade Compton with the trio scoring five-points a piece in the quarter to propel Presbyterian 33-27 over Longwood at the break. 

After the break, Longwood's offense caught fire with Kyla McMakin shooting 7-of-9 from the floor, with 14 points in the quarter, including a stretch where McMakin scored 10-straight points. Rouse added to the offense in the quarter with eight points, including two layups in the closing minutes of the quarter to extend the Lancers lead. 

Longwood closed out the game with Rouse leading the charge with 10-points in the final quarter. Both teams went cold and finished the final 4:47 without a field goal from the court. The Lancers converted their last ten free throws attempts to secure the victory over the Blue Hose. 

"I think our women came out in the first quarter, and we felt really good about our game plan and what we were doing, said head coach Rebecca Tillett. "Then Presbyterian made a great run in the second and the third quarter, so credit to them for their fight. We saw that on film, they have gotten down before, but they never quit. We wanted our women to pack their toughness and chemistry and take it on the road. We felt like we did that against UMES, but our chemistry could be even better, and I thought our women accomplished that today."

The Lancers' defense played a crucial role in the victory as the Lancers forced 27 turnovers resulting in 33 points on offense. For the second straight game, the Lancers tied their season-high with 14 steals. Longwood battled in the paint, outscoring the Blue Hoes, 36-18 while adding 13-second change points. 

"It was a goal of ours to force 18 turnovers, and we surpassed that goal with 27 turnovers," Tillett said. "A lot of our defense had to do with Tra'Dayja Smith and her ability to get the team in the right defenses. We asked a lot of Tra'Dayja today with her managing the game and playing a lot of minutes, credit to her for being our point guard."

Three-time Big South Freshman of the Week McMakin finished with 16 points, including a stretch where McMakin scored ten straight for the Lancers. McMakin remains the No. 2 scorer in the Big South, averaging 16.2 points per game. 

"The first part of the game we had fighting mentally, said freshman Kyla McMakin. "We had a lot of obstacles against us, with foul troubles, and I think most teams would have let that take them down. We came out in the second half prepared to fight and go against the adversity that was thrown at us."

"Great players have short term memory. When I came into the third quarter, I was 0-of-0 shooting mentally. I didn't want the first half and my shooting to affect my team in the second half. My coaches and teammates challenged me to get to the basket more and to have great teammates that look for me to allow me to score."

With 18 of her 20 points coming after halftime, Rouse jumped to fourth in the Big South in scoring raising her average to 15.9 points per game while remaining the leader in field goal percentage, raising her average to .608 on the season. 

Longwood's offense distributed 16 assists in the victory with Akila Smith and Tra'dayja Smith leading the Lancers with six assists apiece. Tra'Dayja finished with seven points and eight rebounds. Akila Smith battled in the paint for a team-high eight rebounds, while contributing to the offense with six points. 


The last four-game winning streak for the Lancers occurred on February 24, 2008, when the Lancers defeated Presbyterian College. 

Now the Lancers will take a one day break and put their four-game winning streak to the test against the Camels of Campbell University. Longwood has the opportunity to begin Big South Conference play 3-0 for the first time since the 2012-2013 season and the second time in program history. Tipoff against the Camels is set for 7 p.m. on Jerome Kersey Court. 

"I think this win shows we are all here to fight for each other and fight together, finished McMakin. "Even when one goes down with foul trouble or shooting trouble, we were able to pick each other up when it was needed, and that is going to be key when we get into Big South play."


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