FARMVILLE, Va. – The Longwood University women's basketball team dropped a pair of decisions to close out the first full week of the season and move to 1-3 overall. The squad fell at North Carolina State University, 102-49, on November 15 and against Murray State University, 76-68, on Nov. 17. The Lancers will open an eight-game road swing at Coppin State University on Tuesday, Nov. 20 beginning at 6 p.m.

Recapping NC State
NC State scored a quick jumper, but the Lancers answered with a deep three from senior Chelsea Coward|Mechanicsville, who scored a career-high 29 points, to take their only lead of the game at 3-2. The Wolfpack offense went to work, taking its largest lead of the half, up 20-5, with 13:43 to play in the first. Longwood retaliated with a 14-9 run to shrink the deficit to just seven, but NCSU outscored LU, 22-2, in the final minutes of the period to take a 51-24 advantage into halftime.

Coming out of the break, NC State began to extend its lead, as Coward scored 11 points in a row for LU and the Wolfpack combined for 16 points to take a 76-38 lead with 10:48 left in the contest. NCSU tallied 24 points compared to eight for Longwood throughout the remainder of the game to seal the victory. The Wolfpack holds a 3-0 edge in the all-time series.

Recapping Murray State
Murray State jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead before freshman Daeisha Brown|Richmond, who tallied a season-high 27 points, knocked down a layup to put the Lancers on the board with just under 18 minutes to play in the first half. After trading baskets for several minutes, Longwood scored nine unanswered points, including the go-ahead bucket from freshman Khalilah Ali|Suffolk, to give the squad its only lead of the game, up 30-29 with 5:42 to go in the first. Murray State followed with a 14-1 run in the final minutes to take a 43-31 advantage in the break.

Coming out of halftime, the Lancers' offense went to work and tied the game at 45-45 on a three-pointer from Coward with 17:17 still to go. While the Lancers did not regain the lead, the squad kept the game tight, down just 62-61 following a layup from Coward with 6:05 left in the game. Murray State outscored LU, 14-7, in the waning minutes of the contest for the win. The Racers now hold a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series.

Scouting Coppin State
The Eagles are 1-2 on the season after dropping a pair of decisions last week. CSU, under the direction of 14th-year head coach Derek Brown, fell to Wake Forest, 82-75, on Nov. 11 before falling to UMBC, 83-75, in overtime on Nov. 14. The squad is led by Junior Kyra Coleman with 20.7 points per game. Senior Leola Spotwood has added 16.7 points per game, in addition to a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game. As a team, the Eagles are shooting 40% (85-215) from the field, including 35% (15-43) from three-point territory, and 67% (62-92) from the line.

Leading the Charge for Longwood
Through four games, Coward leads LU with 18.0 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game. Brown is second on the team with 13.3 points per game, while Ali is second on the team with 6.3 rebounds per game. As a team, the Lancers are shooting 33% (61-184) from the field, including 29% (27-93) from beyond the arc, and 62% (29-47) from the foul line.

Doubling Up
Chelsea Coward opened her senior season with a double-double (16 points, 15 rebounds) at Richmond on Nov. 9. Just over a week later, she notched her second of the season with 15 points and 17 rebounds against Murray State on Nov. 17.

Keeps Getting Better
Coward continues to set new personal bests in 2012-13. On Nov. 9, she set new career highs with 15 rebounds and six blocks at Richmond. On Nov. 15, she notched a career-high, six three-point field goals en route to tallying a game-high and personal-best 29 points at NC State.?And on Nov. 17, she improved on her career best set just three games before with a new high of 17 rebounds against Murray State. The senior needs just 73 more points to join Longwood's prestigious 1,000 Point Club.

Big Numbers from a Small Package
Daeisha Brown, LU's 5-3 freshman guard continues to make big contributions to the team this season. She paced Longwood with a season-high 27 points against Murray State on Nov. 17. She also added 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. Brown, who has started all of the Lancers' games so far, is second on the squad with 13.3 points per game.

Home Sweet Home
Conference affiliation comes with the promise of at least nine home games every year. In 2012-13, Longwood plays 11 contests inside the friendly confines of Willett Hall, where the squad has always fared well. LU posted a 5-3 record at home last season and is 1-1 so far, giving the program a 32-27 record in Farmville since becoming Division I-eligible in 2007-08 (five seasons).

On the Road Again
The Lancers will play eight straight games away from Farmville beginning on Nov. 20 at Coppin State in Baltimore. The team will not return home until Jan. 3 when it hosts Gardner-Webb, meaning LU will spend the entire month of December on the road. This road swing will mark the longest in the history of the program.

Coaches and Captains
Longwood returns to action in 2012-13 under the direction of third-year head coach Bill Reinson. He is assisted by Wanisha Smith, Sarah Williams and Adria Crawford. Seniors Chelsea Coward and Erin Neal will serve as captains for the first time in their careers.

Up Next
Following the squad's trip to Pitt on Nov. 26, Longwood will visit in-state rival Virginia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday, December 1. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.