FARMVILLE, Va. – With only four games remaining in the Big South regular season schedule, the time for a late-season push is now or never. The Longwood Lancers certainly got the message, as they cruised to a dominant 97-64 victory over the USC Upstate Spartans. Anne-Hamilton LeRoy scored a career-high 30 points in a win that is sure to put the rest of the Big South on notice.
 


Longwood Statistical Leaders
 
Points: Anne-Hamilton LeRoy (30)
Rebounds: Anne-Hamilton LeRoy (7)
Assists: Bailey Williams (6)
Steals: Bailey Williams (4)
 

HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
Longwood (7-19, 6-9) got on the jump early and often, employing a full-court press that dazed USC Upstate (9-17, 6-9). The Lancers pounced on every opportunity at a turnover, intercepting passing lanes and smothering Spartan players with double-teams and tight defensive pressure.

The non-stop pestering on defense proved to be a fruitful endeavor, as Longwood generated 38 points off of turnovers throughout the game. Although Longwood's defensive effort was something to behold, it was their efforts on offense that took center stage.

The pressure and easy buckets the other way put the Lancers in the zone offensively. Longwood's 29 first quarter points are the most the team has put up in any frame this season. Anne-Hamilton LeRoy helped stoke the fire in the Willett Hall crowd tonight, knocking down three triples on route to a career-high 30-point performance.

While LeRoy's 30 piece stands out on the stat sheet, she was not the only player involved in tonight's commanding performance. Adriana Shipp-Davis added 17 points, four rebounds and four assists while Janay Turner dropped 15 points and six boards on an efficient 5-8 from the field on her birthday. Brooke Anya and Bailey Williams also scored in double figures, rounding out the starting five in what was the first game that each starter has scored 10+ all season.

WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"We found a way to execute offensively," said head coach Erika Lang-Montgomery on her team's offensive success. "We scored in a multitude of ways against their man, against their zone, so I was really pleased with our offensive execution tonight."

"I hope that becomes the standard of Longwood women's basketball," said Lang-Montgomery on each of her starters scoring in double figures. "I thought we did a really good job of sharing the ball, and we had a positive assist to turnover ratio."

"It started with our defense first," said senior guard Anne-Hamilton LeRoy. "We came out firing and were all in sync. We were getting stops on defense and that led to us scoring on offense."

"I'm really proud of [Anne-Hamilton LeRoy]," said Lang-Montgomery. "She struggled from the floor on Saturday, but she came back today with a different mindset and really put some baskets together to help us get the win."
 
"We're the underdogs, it's no secret," said LeRoy. "We're playing with that underdog mentality just trying to take people out one game at time and just play our game and stay true to who we are."
 
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
 
Today's game marked the 12^th all-time Division-I matchup between the Lancers and the Spartans. Longwood leads the series 7-5.
 
All five Longwood started scored in double-digits, the first time that has been accomplished all season.
 
97 points are the most Longwood has scored this season and the highest scoring mark since the team reached 100 against N.C. Wesleyan in 2015.
 
Anne-Hamilton LeRoy's 30 points were a career-high and most by a Longwood player this season.
 
The Lancers shot 52.3% from the field, the highest team percentage in a game this season.
 
Longwood forced 28 turnovers, scoring 38 points off of them, both of which are season highs.
 
The Lancers had a positive assist to turnover ratio for the second time this season (16 assists, 15 turnovers).
 
Longwood out-rebounded USC Upstate 35-30 in today's game.
 
 
UP NEXT:
 
The Lancers hit the road to take on cross-state foe Radford on Saturday, February 18^th. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Radford.
 
Tickets for the Big South Championships in Charlotte, N.C. on March 1-5 are now available at this link!

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