In their season opener, the Longwood Lancers women’s basketball team suffered an 87-37 road loss to the Marquette Golden Eagles on Nov. 11.
"This was a tough start to the season," said head coach Bill Reinson on the official Longwood athletics website. "I wasn't completely certain what to expect, but this certainly wasn't it. We're extremely young, and I expected nerves to be an issue, but we weren't as aggressive as we needed to be."
The first half was tough for the Lancers as they shot 24 percent from field goal range and 18 percent from three-point range. The Golden Eagles dominated the first half by shooting 44 percent on field goals along with several second chance points in the first half. The first half ended with the Golden Eagles holding a 44-14 advantage.
"The biggest disappointment was in our rebounding," Reinson said on the official Longwood athletics website as the hosts scored 29 second chance points. "We completely abandoned everything that we worked on."
Longwood improved after the break, shooting 27 percent from the field and 25 percent from beyond the arc. The Lancers also improved defensively with three steals and one block. Despite their improvements, the Lancers were outscored by 20 points in the second half. Marquette improved their field goal percentage to 47 percent in a commanding second half performance, and finished with a deserved 50 point victory.
The key players for the visitors included freshman guard Jada Russell who had 13 points and two steals. Junior guard Micaela Ellis also contributed with seven points and seven rebounds while freshman forward Kemari Jones chipped in with eight rebounds for the Lancers.
The Golden Eagles also had some key contributors, such as sophomore guard Allazia Blockton, who scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Erika Davenport added 19 points and 10 rebounds of her own for the hosts.
"I think we have unlimited potential in that locker room," Reinson said on the official Longwood athletics website. "This was one of 30-plus games, so we'll learn from it. I'm excited to get to practice. We have a lot to work on, but we have a terrific group who will work to get better."
Reinson will hope to see improvements in their next game as his squad continues their season-opening road trip against Duke in Durham, N.C. on Nov. 15.
