RADFORD, Va. – As the clock strikes closer to midnight on the Big South regular season, the late push in the conference standings is on. Down by as many as eight in the fourth quarter and needing a win to stay in the hunt for a first round bye in the conference tournament, Longwood women's basketball pulled off a wild come-from-behind victory over Radford 65-63. Adriana Shipp-Davis knocked down a clutch three-pointer with six seconds left to tie the game, and Janay Turner hit three free-throws in the closing seconds to seal the win.
 
Longwood Statistical Leaders
 
Points: Janay Turner (18)
Rebounds: Brooke Anya (7)
Assists: Chardonnay Hartley (3)
Steals: Janay Turner (6)
 

HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
Coming off the heels of their most dominant performance of the season, Longwood (8-19, 7-9) would not have as easy of a day at the office this time around. Radford (11-16, 7-9) matched the Lancers' intensity early on, and it was clear that both sides were in for a dog fight. The score was knotted up 26 apiece at halftime and the Lancers only won by two, a testament to how close the game truly was.

Janay Turner (18p, 6s) was instrumental for Longwood, knocking down threes and turning over Radford to help the Lancers score 27 points off turnovers. With the game locked at 62 thanks to a huge three from Adriana Shipp-Davis, Turner swiped her sixth steal of the game and was fouled attempting a half-court heave. She coolly drained all three free throws.

Turner got the opportunity thanks to a strong effort from Shipp-Davis (14p, 4r). The redshirt junior guard connected on one of the biggest shots of her career, a three-pointer that danced around the rim before dropping in to tie the game with only six seconds remaining.

The Highlanders would have one final chance following Turner's free throws, as Shipp-Davis fouled Radford's Maci Rhoades at midcourt before the ball was inbounded. Rhoades made the first and intentionally missed the second, leading to another scramble for the basketball and whistle by the referees. After the officials went to review, it was determined that the clock had struck zero during all the madness, and Longwood claimed victory in possibly the wildest finish in the Big South this season.
 

WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"Winning on the road any time of year is hard, and late-season is even harder," said head coach Erika Lang-Montgomery. "We had to be gutsy and gritty. I told them in the timeout that we needed to get stops and scores and that I believed in them and that we could get the job done."

"Over the season, you build up trust in your players, and they definitely have earned the right to have the ball in their hands late game," said Lang-Montgomery on Janay Turner and Adriana Shipp-Davis. "I'm super proud of the focus that both had down the stretch."

"When the season started, we knew we needed to get a little better each day and each game," said Lang-Montgomery. "I think you can see with how we're playing down the stretch that we've done that as a team."

"Willett Hall is a special place, I'm sure there's going to be a lot of emotion on Wednesday," said Lang-Montgomery ahead of Longwood's final game at Willett. "For us to be able to show up and play really hard on Wednesday will be really important for this program."
 

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
 
Today's game marked the 26^th all-time Division-I matchup between the Lancers and the Highlanders. Longwood has won each of the past five matchups against Radford.
 
Four out of five Longwood starters scored in double-figures (Turner 18, Shipp-Davis 14, Anne-Hamilton LeRoy 10, Brooke Anya 10).
 
Janay Turner hit three triples in today's game, her fourth such game doing so on the year.
 
Longwood recorded 17 steals in the game, the second consecutive outing that the team has grabbed exactly 17 steals.
 
The Lancers shot 43.3% from the field, marking the first time that Longwood has shot 40% or higher in consecutive games this season.
 
Longwood has won consecutive games for the second time this season (Presbyterian 1/21, Radford 1/25).
 
 
UP NEXT:
 
The Lancers will host the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in their last ever game at Willett Hall on Wednesday, February 22^nd. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in Farmville.
 
Tickets for the Big South Championships in Charlotte, N.C. on March 1-5 are now available at this link!

#GoWood || #HorsePower