MACON, Ga. – Riley McDonald and Holly Hill were dynamite on offense for Longwood lacrosse on Friday night. Unfortunately, Mercer countered with the Big South Offensive Player of the Year in Gabby DiVirgilio and a lot of depth for the top seeded Bears (13-5) to win 23-14.
 
In Longwood's (8-10) first trip to the Big South Tournament in five years, McDonald and Hill combined for nine goals, and McDonald set the program single-season goals record in the process. She finished with 63.
 
However, Mercer's DiVirgilio had four goals and a pair of assists, and Sami Lowinger added four goals of her own for the tournament hosts.
 
TOP LWU PERFORMERS:
Riley McDonald: 5G
Holly Hill: 4G, 1GB, 1CT
Miranda Helfenbein: 5GB, 5CT, 2DC
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
McDonald and Hill keyed the Lancer offense, and Mirande Helfenbein was the point of the spear for an aggressive Lancer defense. The Lancers helped force 21 Mercer turnovers, a mark that tied the season high for the Bears, and Longwood had 12 CT's as well, two shy of their season high.
 
The difference was in the draw, where Mercer was almost unstoppable. The Bears outdrew Longwood 32-9, leading to 41 shots for the home side.
 
The advantage helped Mercer jump out to a 5-0 start as five different players scored in the first five minutes.
 
Longwood doggedly battled back though, with Hill opening the scoring off a pass from Ariana Tucci. McDonald then fired home back-to-back chances off Emily Cate Smith feeds, and Claire Libby capped the four-goal run with her 19^th goal of the season to cut the lead to 5-4 with three minutes to play.
 
Mercer pushed the lead back out to six, but Hill momentarily stalled it out. However, the Bears scored twice in the final minute of the half to take a seven-point lead at the break.
 
In the third quarter, McDonald had a hat trick and cut the lead to six, but the Bears had the answer every time. Eleven different players score in the game for Mercer, and that depth helped them hold off Longwood down the stretch.
 
NOTABLES:
 
McDonald finished the season with 63 goals and is now the program's single-season scoring leader. She broke the mark of 60 set by Sue Groff in 1986.
 
McDonald also had a free position goal, her 20^th of the year, which also set the program record of 19 set by Katilin Luccarelli in 2019.
 
McDonald's 82 points this year are the fifth-most in team history.
 
Helfenbein's 5 CT's were tied for the fourth-most in a single game in team history. She also has the second-most in a single game, set earlier this year.
 
Helfenbein finished with 38 CT's on the year, good for the fourth-highest single season mark.
 
Emily Cate Smith finished the season with 42 assists, good for the fourth-most all time in a single season.
 
Julia Koenig finished the season with 83 draw controls, the second-most in a single season in team history.
 
#GoWood #HorsePower