Lancers Defeat the Eagles in a Second Half Shootout

Daeisha Brown’s 19 points helps Longwood secure a 67–60 win over Winthrop.

After a five-game losing streak, the Longwood women’s basketball team (6–14) came out of Tuesday night’s matchup in Willett Hall with a conference record of 3–8, keeping the Winthrop Eagles (2–8) in its lonely spot at the bottom of the Big South Conference standings’ board.

Longwood’s sophomore guard, Autumn Childress, was the first to put up points on the board, with a rebound about a minute into the game, but by the end of the first quarter Winthrop was a shy five points ahead. As the halftime buzzer rang, it was anyone’s game with both Longwood and Winthrop leaving the court with 32 points each.

The second half of the game remained a swaying contest, but Longwood junior Eboni Gilliam and redshirt-junior guard Daeisha Brown’s free throws secured Longwood’s lead in the last minute of the game.

Daeisha Brown put up a team-high of 19 points, 14 of those in the second half to aid the Lancers in their 67–60 victory. Brown went into Tuesday’s game needing 38 points to become the 21st in Longwood history to reach 1,000 points, now she’s only 19 points away. “Daeisha Brown, regardless of how many points she scores, every game she’s always good for a little six or eight point burst,” said Longwood head coach Bill Reinson.

Brown missed 27 games of the 2014–15 season due to a torn ACL. “When I tore my ACL I was devstated. I felt like I was letting the team down. When I came back, I knew I was coming back with a purpose. It really motivates me every day,” added Brown. This season she’s averaged 12 points-per-game and a .794 free-throw percentage at the line.

“We wanted to trap her off ball screens, which we didn’t do early, unfortunately,” said Reinson as he reflected on the defensive plan to slow down Winthrop junior Erica Williams’ game. Williams, the leading scorer in the Big South Conference this season, put up eight rebounds and a game-high of 20 points against the Lancers.

“She’s so big and strong that there’s not much you can do when she gets going,” stated Reinson. Brown got a taste of Williams’ 5-foot-10-inch strength during the man-to-man game coverage stating, “when she came and blocked my shot, I felt everything. I felt like she put her whole body on me, that’s how much I felt it.”

Winthrop guards Aliyah Kilpatrick and Naima Jackson each put up double digits during the match. Longwood senior Kyndal Skersick had a bit of a slow contest, but still put up 10 points in the game while freshman forward Kemari Jones led Longwood with seven rebounds.

This was Longwood’s first season swoop over the Winthrop Eagles since joining the Big South Conference in 2012. Next stop on the road for the Lancers will be in Clinton, South Carolina on Feb 1 as they take on the Pr