12.20.2011

Box Score

DAYTON, Ohio - The Longwood University women's basketball team fell 56-52 to Southeast Missouri State University on Tuesday afternoon on the final day of the Wright State Invitational. The Lancers (2-10) fought back from an eight point deficit to take the 45-44 lead with 6:40 remaining, but the Redhawks re-took the lead for good after a pair of free throws with 5:44 remaining. Longwood held the Redhawks (3-10) to just one field goal over the final 11:30, however, SEMO went 13-for-16 from the foul line over that span. Longwood was led by senior Brittanni Billups|Goldsboro, N.C. (Eastern Wayne) with her second consecutive double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while junior Erin Neal|Durham (Hillside) added a team-high 12 points. The Redhawks were led by Brittany Harriel with a game-high 18 points. Longwood returns to action on Thursday, December 22, when it faces the University of Cincinnati of the Big East Conference at 12 p.m. in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Longwood led 10-9 with 14:13 remaining in the first half after a jumper by Billups. Southeast Missouri built a 12 point lead over the next 7:08 to lead 26-14 with 7:05 remaining in the half. Longwood answered with a 14-4 run to end the first half and trailed 30-28 at halftime. Junior Crystal Smith|Richmond (Meadowbrook) made three three-pointers during the run, while freshman Rianna Frazer|Baltimore, Md. (Seton Keough) and junior Chelsea Coward|Mechanicsville (Hanover) added two points each.

The Redhawks extended the lead to 41-33 after a conventional three-point play by Harriel with 14:27 remaining. The Lancers went on a 14-5 run to take a 45-44 lead after a jumper by junior Heather Tobeck|La Porte, Texas (La Porte). Neal scored five points on the run, including a three-pointer from the corner. Karley Evans made a pair of free throws for SEMO, then Neal made a layup to put the Lancers ahead 47-46 with 5:55 remaining. Harriel made a pair of foul shots to lead 48-47, then buried a jumper to extend the lead to three points. Coward made a pair of foul shots, but the Redhawks made three of their next four free throw attempts to lead 53-49 with 2:50 remaining. Billups hit a jumper, then Neal made the first of two foul shots to cut the lead to 53-52 with 1:11 remaining. Harriel went 3-for-4 from the foul line the rest of the way to give SEMO the victory.

Neal paced Longwood with 12 points (5-12 FG) and three assists, while Billups added 10 points (5-11 FG) and 12 rebounds. Coward (3-8 FG, 3-4 FT) and Smith (3-8 FG, 3-5 3FG) added nine points each. Junior Mieke Elkington|Hamilton, New Zealand (Cochise College) added eight rebounds and Frazer dished out three assists with no turnovers. The Lancers out-rebounded SEMO 41-40. Longwood shot 35.6% (21-59) from the floor, including 26.7% (4-15) from behind the arc, and 60% (6-10) from the foul line.

Harriel scored 18 points (5-15 FG, 8-9 FT) with a game-high 13 rebounds. Evans added 11 points (4-8 FG). The Redhawks scored 14 points off of 19 Longwood turnovers and added 10 second-chance points. SEMO shot 29.6% (16-54) from the floor, including 20% (3-15) from behind the arc, and 80.8% (21-26) from the foul line.