12.6.2011

FARMVILLE, Va. – The Longwood University women's basketball team split a pair of games last week, falling on the road 76-43 at the College of William and Mary of the Colonial Athletic Association in Williamsburg on Wednesday night before bouncing back with a 73-59 home victory over Radford University of the Big South Conference on Saturday afternoon in Willett Hall. Longwood is off for fall semester examinations until Sunday, December 11, when it hosts Norfolk State University at 2 p.m. in Willett Hall in Farmville.

Game Details
Opponent: Norfolk State
Site: Farmville, Va.
Facility: Willett Hall
Date: December 11, 2011
Start: 2 p.m.
Live Stats
Live Video

Last Week
Longwood jumped out to a 15-0 lead and never looked back as it defeated Radford 73-59 on Saturday afternoon in Willett Hall. Senior Brittanni Billups|Goldsboro, N.C. (Eastern Wayne) recorded her second double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while senior Mina Jovanovic|Smederevska Palanka, Serbia (Salt Lake CC) scored 14 points and junior Erin Neal|Durham, N.C. (Hillside) added 12 points. Longwood led by as many as 28 points and never let the lead dip below 13 in the second half. Longwood jumped out to the quick lead after Jovanovic had a steal and took it the other way for the layup. The Lancers continued to push the ball and capped a 15-0 run to start the game with a jumper by Jovanovic with 16:54 remaining in the first half. The Highlanders answered with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 15-7. Longwood led 24-15 at the under-eight minute media timeout, then went on a 17-3 run to end the half with a 41-18 lead. The Highlanders cut the lead to 18 with 14:14 remaining in the second half, but Longwood used a 10-0 run to extend the lead to 28 at 56-28 with 11:02 remaining. The Lancers shot 52% (26-50) from the floor, the first time they shot better than 50% since December 28, 2009 vs. VCU.

Longwood fell 76-43 at William and Mary on Wednesday evening in Williamsburg. Jovanovic scored a career-high 15 points to lead the Lancers, while junior Chelsea Coward|Mechanicsville (Hanover) added 10 points. Longwood jumped out to an early 8-4 lead before the Tribe tied the game at 8-8. A jumper by Coward and layup by Jovanovic helped LU keep pace with W&M before the Tribe went on an 11-2 run to lead 23-14. The Lancers answered with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 23-21, but W&M extended the lead to 36-25 at halftime. LU trailed 56-40 at the under-eight media timeout in the second half, but was outscored 20-3 by W&M the rest of the way. Longwood shot 35.8% from the field, including 8.3% from behind the arc, and 50% from the foul line. The Tribe out-rebounded Longwood 51-28 and turned 28 LU turnovers in to 23 points.

Coach Reinson On Last Week
“We've found it difficult to win on the road thus far this season. We had an opportunity at William and Mary, because we played well early in the game, but were unable to sustain the effort.  We need to continue to improve our decision making and shot selection if we are going to be successful away from Farmville.

“Against Radford, our energy was extremely high early in the game and we had very different results.  I don't know if there is a better way to start a game than 15-0.  The important thing is that we continued to play well until late in the second half.  At this point, our team is much more comfortable at Willet Hall.  If we're going to make gains as a program this season, we must learn to perform better away from home.”

Longwood Leaders
Longwood is led by Brittanni Billups (10.5p, 8.3r), Mina Jovanovic (9.1p, 3.6r) and Chelsea Coward (8.9p, 5.3r). Erin Neal (8.1p, 2.9r, 2.8a) and junior Crystal Smith|Richmond (Meadowbrook) (5.0p, 3.1r, 3.7a) are also key contributors. The Lancers are shooting 34.7% from the field, including 19.5% from behind the arc, and 60.2% at the foul line while averaging 51.8 points and allowing 68.1 points. Longwood has been out-rebounded by eight boards per game and averages 11.5 assists, 21.4 turnovers, 7.3 steals and 3.8 blocks per game.

A Look At Norfolk State
Norfolk State is 5-3 and coming off a 75-69 home loss to visiting South Carolina State on Monday night. The Spartans are 2-1 on the road, with victories at Texas Southern (80-58) and USC Upstate (94-81). NSU is led by Whitney Long (15.8p, 2.8r), Rae Corbo (13.8p, 3.1r) and Rachel Gordon (11.3p, 10.1r). Recca Trice leads the team with 5.3 assists per game. The Spartans are shooting 41.8% from the floor, including 35.7% from behind the arc, and 62.2% from the foul line while averaging 69.2 points and allowing 61.6 points per game. NSU has out-rebounded opponents by 4.8 boards per game and is averaging 14 assists, 21.4 turnovers, 9.4 steals and 2.9 blocks per game. The Spartans are coached by third-year head coach Debra Clark.

Series History
Longwood and Norfolk State have met 11 times in the sport of women's basketball, with the Spartans holding a slim 6-5 lead in the series. Longwood has won four of the past five meetings, including a 67-55 victory in Willett Hall on November 17, 2006

Coach Reinson On Norfolk State
“Norfolk State has played very well early this season.  They are very athletic and will be a difficult match-up for us.  We need to continue to play with high energy and have confidence in our ability to shoot the basketball.  We were very confident against Radford and must continue to believe in ourselves as the season progresses.”

In Willett Hall
Longwood is 2-1 at Willett Hall during 2011-12 and 15-13 dating back to the 2009-10 season. The Lancers went 7-5 at home during 2009-10 and 6-7 during 2010-11.

Bench Scoring
After scoring just 18.5% of the points through the first seven games of the season, players coming off the bench scored 24 points (32.8%) in a 73-59 victory over Radford (12.3). Morgan Smith and Chelsea Coward scored nine points each, while freshmen Rianna Frazer|Baltimore, Md. (Seton Keough) and Megan Baltzell|Stafford (Mountain View) added five points and one point, respectively.

High-Scoring
Longwood scored 73 points against Radford (12.3), the most points of the 2011-12 season and the most since a 77-point outing against UNC Asheville on February 8, 2011.

52% - That's More Than Half!
Longwood shot 52% (26-50) from the floor in its 79-53 victory over visiting Radford (12.3). It was the first time the Lancers have shot better than 50% since they went 23-46 from the field in an 84-64 loss to VCU on December 28, 2009.

Career Day
Mina Jovanovic scored a career-high 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting at William and Mary. Six of her baskets were layups, and five of those were assisted.

Double-Double
Brittanni Billups recorded her first double-double of the season at High Point, scoring 10 points with a season-high 10 rebounds. She added her second double-double of the season against Radford (15p, 10r). She has 10 double-doubles in her four-year career, including a career-best five as a junior during 2010-11.

Career Record Watch
Junior Heather Tobeck|La Porte, Texas (La Porte) and Brittanni Billups are both ranked in the Top 10 in blocked shots on the all-time list. Tobeck has blocked 100 shots, good for third on the all-time list, seven away from the career record. Billups has 92 blocks for seventh on the all-time list.

Multi-Talented
Three members of the women's basketball team pull double-duty at Longwood. Freshman Megan Baltzell and senior Courtney Long|Mechanicsville (Hanover) are both members of the softball team, while senior Kacie Oliver|Portsmouth, R.I. (Portsmouth) recently completed her four-year career with the women's soccer team. Long is a three-year starter at first base, while Baltzell is expected to see playing time behind the plate for the Lancers. Oliver finished her career with 12 goals and seven assists for 31 points, including six goals and one assist during her senior campaign.

Road Warriors
Longwood plays 19 road games during 2011-12, including seven-straight contests away from Willett Hall in December. The Lancers also have two four-game road stretches.

Feels Like The First Time
Longwood will face 11 opponents for the first time during 2011-12.  The Lancers are 0-2 against first-time opponents this season. Longwood will host two of those opponents, Coppin State and Dartmouth, and face Air Force, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Georgetown (L, 45-56), Miami (L, 43-92), Murray State, Notre Dame, San Diego State and Southeast Missouri State on the road.

vs. The Commonwealth
Longwood is set to face five teams from Virginia during 2011-12. The Lancers host George Mason (11.17 - L, 58-80), Radford (12.3 - W, 73-59), Norfolk State (12.11 - 2 p.m.) and Richmond (2.13.12 - 7 p.m.) and travel to William and Mary (11.30 - L, 43-76). Longwood went 1-6 against teams from the Commonwealth last season and is 1-2 during 2011-12.

Against the Big South
Longwood plays four games against teams from the Big South Conference, including home games against Radford (12.3 - W, 73-59) and Gardner-Webb (2.20.12 - 7 p.m.) and trips to High Point (L, 51-73) and Campbell (L, 33-48). Longwood is 1-2 against teams from the Big South this season and went 2-5 last season with a pair of victories over UNC Asheville.

Next Up...
Longwood hits the road for a five-game, nine-day road trip. The Lancers will face Marshall on Thursday, Dec. 15, at 12 p.m. in Huntington, W. Va., before playing three games in the Wright State Invitational on Dec. 18-20 in Dayton, Ohio. Longwood will face the University of Cincinnati of the Big East Conference on Thursday, Dec. 22, at 7 p.m. before returning home.