FARMVILLE, Va. – The Longwood University women's basketball team split a pair of Big South Conference games on the road last week to move to 10-17 overall and 7-9 in league play. The squad picked up a 67-54 victory at UNC Asheville to close out its regular-season road schedule on February 23 following a 78-46 setback at Winthrop on Feb. 21. Longwood returns home to Willett Hall for its final two games of the regular season beginning with a tilt against Charleston Southern on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.

Recapping Asheville
Longwood opened the game with layups from freshman Daeisha Brown/Richmond and senior Chelsea Coward/Mechanicsville to take an early lead. Asheville pulled within one on a pair of occasions before tying the score at 6-6. The Bulldogs took their largest lead of the game on their next possession, but the Lancers knotted the game at 8-8 on a bucket from the paint from Coward at 14:46 in the first half, and after tying twice more, used an 8-0 run to pull ahead, 22-14, with just over five minutes left in the period. Asheville made it a one-possession game at 23-21, but Longwood scored the final bucket of the half to take a slight, 25-21 edge into the break.

UNCA scored the first bucket of the second half, but Longwood answered with a 12-4 run to increase its margin to double digits, up 37-27, with 15:28 remaining in the contest. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to six with a pair of three-point jumpers, but would not come any closer. Senior Crystal Smith/Richmond knocked down a three-pointer of her own to spark a 13-4 Lancer run that gave the visitors a 52-37 advantage with less than nine minutes to play. The Lancers led by as many as 17 in the final minutes, up 60-43 with five minutes to go, and although the Bulldogs closed the game on an 11-7 run, LU was able to seal the 67-54 decision. The contest marked the fifth meeting ever between Longwood and Asheville in the sport of women's basketball. The Lancers now hold a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series.

Recapping Winthrop
Winthrop opened the game on an 11-1 run, as Longwood's first point came by way of a free throw from Smith. Coward added a pair of free throws, as well, to cut the Lancers deficit back to single-digits, but the Eagles answers with a 12-1 run to take a 23-4 advantage with 10:32 remaining in the first half. Senior Erin Neal/Durham, North Carolina logged the first field goal of the night for the Lancers and converted on a foul shot to complete the three-point play before Brown knocked down a jumper of her own. Longwood, however, was unable to put together a run, as WU outscored the visitors, 15-7, in the waning minutes of the first half to take a 44-16 lead into the break.

The Eagles scored the first bucket of the second half to extend its margin to 30, but Neal retaliated with a layup, sparking a 13-4 Lancer run that was capped by a deep three from Smith to make it 50-29 with less than 14 minutes left to play. Winthrop answered with 12 quick points, compared to a single three-point field goal from freshman Raven Williams/Richmond for LU, allowing the hosts to regain their 30-point buffer at 62-32 with 11:11 still to go. The Lancers would pull within 25 on five-straight points from Smith, but could not come any closer, as the Eagles finished the game with a 16-9 run to earn the 78-46 victory. Longwood trails in the all-time series, 6-4.

Scouting Charleston Southern
The Buccaneers are currently 8-17 overall and 3-13 in Big South action following three straight losses, including a 65-55 setback against Campbell University in their most recent outing on Feb. 23. CSU, under the direction of first-year head coach Fred Applin, is led by senior Lakeitha Alston with 15.8 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game. In addition, juniors DJ Fowler and Erin Bratcher are averaging 10.9 and 10.5 points, respectively. As a whole, the Buccaneers are shooting 37% (507-1390) from the floor, 30% (171-567) from beyond the arc and 71% (318-447) from the line.

Scouting Presbyterian
The Blue Hose, who are 7-10 overall and 9-3 in Big South games, are riding a four-game win streak, including a 71-69 overtime victory against High Point on Feb. 23 in their most recent outing. PC, under the direction of fifth-year head coach Ronny Fisher, is paced by senior Mariah Pietrowski with an average of 11.3 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game. Senior Dria David and junior Karlee Taylor have added to the offensive effort with 10.9 points apiece. As a squad, the Blue Hose are shooting 43% (531-1243) from the floor, 37% (120-323) from beyond the arc and 68% (282-412) from the line.

Leading the Charge for Longwood
Through 27 games, Crystal Smith paces the squad with 14.7 points per game. Chelsea Coward is second on the team with 14.3 points per game. Coward leads the team with 8.2 rebounds per game, as well. Daeisha Brown rounds out the double-digit scorers for LU with 12.7 points. As a whole, Longwood is shooting 36% (596-1655) from the field, including 28% (168-600) from three-point territory, and 68% (349-515) from the free throw line.

Snapping the Skid to Reach Win #10
Longwood snapped an eight-game skid with its victory at UNC Asheville and earned its 10th win of the season. The Lancers' 10 victories so far this year marks the program's highest win total since its first season playing Division I back in 2007-08 (16).

Stealing the Show
Longwood is currently ranked third in the Big South with an average of 10.1 steals per game against conference opponents and is ranked sixth with 9.3 steals per game against all opponents. Erin Neal posted a career-high eight steals in the squad's victory at UNC Asheville on Feb. 23 and is second on the team with 48 so far this season. Daeisha Brown paces LU with 53 steals in her rookie season.

Big South Conference Tournament
The 2013 VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Women's Basketball Championship will take place March 6-10 at The HTC Center, Coastal Carolina's new Student Recreation and Convocation Center in Conway, South Carolina. The tournament, which will be held in conjunction with the league's men's basketball championship, will feature all 11 Big South women's basketball member institutions. 

Player of the Week
Crystal Smith was named the Big South Conference Women's Basketball Choice Hotels Player of the Week twice this season: on Jan. 7 and on Jan. 21, both times after leading the team to back-to-back conference home wins. The senior averaged 27.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists, while shooting a perfect 100% (16-16) on free throw opportunities through two games to earn the honor on Jan. 7. In addition, on Jan. 3, the senior guard set a new career high with 32 points, including a personal-best 12 made free throws against Gardner-Webb. She followed that performance with her first double-double of the season, tallying 23 points and 11 rebounds, against Winthrop. She garnered her second award by averaging 26.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 38.5 minutes in two games. The 5-8 veteran guard made a career-high 11 field goals to tally her second 30+ point game of the season and propel Longwood past Campbell, and followed that performance with a 20-point, eight-rebound effort against Coastal Carolina.

Freshman of the Week
Daeisha Brown was named the Big South Conference/The Crons Brand Freshman of the Week twice this season: on Jan. 2 and on Jan. 7. She was first recognized for her performance in a three-game span, during which she shot 60 percent from the field, averaging17.3 points and 6.3 rebounds, and tallied her second double-double of the season, along with a personal-best seven steals to help lead the Lancers to their first-ever Big South win at Radford on Dec. 29. Most recently she was honored for her role in the squad's two consecutive, conference home wins in which she notched 17.0 points per game and added seven rebounds, seven assists and five steals.

In the Record Books
Chelsea Coward and Crystal Smith both surpassed 1,000 career points this season. Coward reached the milestone at Arizona on Dec. 20, while Smith hit 1,000 against High Point on Feb. 7. The seniors became the 19th and 20th members of Longwood's prestigious 1,000 Point Club and the first to do so in the program's Division I era. This marks the fourth time in program history that two players achieved the career milestone in the same season. In addition, Coward posted five boards to achieve 500 career rebounds against Gardner-Webb on Jan. 3 (504). Coward is currently fifth on Longwood's all-time record list with 111 made three-point buckets and100 blocked shots.

Doubling Up
Chelsea Coward opened her senior season with a double-double (16 points, 15 rebounds) at Richmond on Nov. 9. She then notched a double-double in three consecutive games: against Murray State (Nov. 17 – 15 points, 17 boards); at Coppin State (Nov. 20 – 18 points, 11 boards); and at Pitt (Nov. 26 – 17 points, 10 boards). She added another at Radford (Dec. 29 – 19 points, 12 boards), against Winthrop (Jan. 5 – 15 points, 11 boards), at Charleston Southern (Jan. 12 – 23 points, 12 boards), against Coastal (Jan. 19 – 15 points, 11 boards), at Coastal (Jan. 31 - 15 points, 10 boards) and against Radford (Feb. 14 – 12 points, 10 boards) for a total of 10 this season. She has posted double-digits points in all but four games this season.

Comeback Kids
The Lancers have a knack for making things interesting this season, mounting several second-half comebacks. The team has trailed at halftime in seven of the 10 games that it has won so far this year. And of the seven games that the squad has come back to win, Longwood faced a double-digit, first-half deficit in four of them (Air Force – down by 12, Gardner-Webb – down by 18, Campbell – down by 11, Coastal – down by 17).

Under Control
As a team, Longwood has exhibited more ball control since beginning conference play. The squad set a season best with just seven turnovers against Gardner-Webb on Jan. 3. Longwood is averaging 14.3 turnovers per game against Big South opponents, compared to an average of 16.1 turnovers against all opponents this season. The team is currently second in the conference in with a +5.13 turnover margin against Big South opponents and is first with a +2.89 turnover margin against all opponents.

Big South Stats
Longwood is currently first in the conference with a 2.89 turnover margin and second with 6.2 three-pointers made per game. The squad is ranked sixth in scoring offense (63.3) and steals (9.3), seventh in blocked shots (3.3) and eighth in assist/turnover ratio (0.7). Chelsea Coward is fourth in blocked shots (1.7) and defensive rebounds (5.9). Crystal Smith is fifth in the Big South in scoring (14.7) and three-point field goals made (1.9).

Home Sweet Home
With conference affiliation comes the promise of at least nine home games every year. Longwood plays its final two regular-season 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 5-4 so far, including 4-3 in Big South games, giving the program a 36-30 record in Farmville since becoming Division I-eligible in 2007-08 (five seasons).

Coaches and Captains
Longwood is playing 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 are serving as captains for the first time in their respective careers.

Up Next
Following the team's game against Charleston Southern on Feb. 28, Longwood will host Presbyterian on March 2 at 2 p.m. for Senior Day. The Lancers will then head to South Carolina for the Big South Conference Tournament and will play a first-round game on March 6. Details are still to be determined.