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Friday, July 11, 2025

WBB: Autumn Childress’ big night not enough

Sophomore guard Autumn Childress led the way for Longwood (6-17, 3-11) with her first career double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to fuel a comeback in a 61-54 loss to the UNC Asheville Bulldogs (10-4, 12-2) on Tuesday, Feb. 9.
Head women’s basketball coach Bill Reinson said, “There’s no doubt that Autumn Childress is one of our most talented players. Right now, she struggles a little bit with consistency, but when you get the good Autumn, it’s terrific.”
Reinson added, “She rebounds, she scores, she’s active, she plays defense and that’s what we saw tonight and if we can get that out of her consistently, we’re going to be a much better team going forward.”
The Bulldogs got strong performances from the three-headed monster of junior
guard Chatori Major, junior forward Tianna Knuckles and sophomore guard
Khaila Webb in a 61-54 win over the Longwood Lancers at Willett Hall on Tuesday to improve to 8-1 on the road in Big South Conference play.
Webb paced the Bulldogs with 17 points and six rebounds, while Major tallied 11 and Knuckles added 10. Knuckles and Major were the top two three-point shooters in the Big South Conference coming in, but the Lancers were able to step up their defense allowing only two buckets from downtown.
“We were trying to switch everything, trying to not give them easy looks,” said
Reinson. “We did a good job for the most part; we did give them an easy look at the beginning of the third quarter and I got a little upset about it, but after that we switched out just like we were supposed too.”
Reinson added, “We challenged shooters, we forced them to throw it inside, we
fronted, and I think we did a pretty decent job at defending them.”
UNC Asheville came in with the highest scoring offense as well at 71 points per
game, but the Lancer defense stepped up and forced 14 turnovers to slow down the attack.
“They were a team that scores 70-75 points a game and they had 61, but the last six we gave to them at the free throw line,” said Reinson.
Childress said, “Asheville’s a great team, but just being able to hang with them
throughout the game gives us a lot of confidence going on.”
Longwood was down by 10 entering the fourth before Childress’ back-to-back
buckets made it just a five-point game.
Childress said, “When we get down, sometimes we tend to give up, but he told us this game that we can’t give up and he said in the locker room that no one looked like they gave up and everyone kept fighting.”
Foul trouble and points in the paint made all the difference as the Bulldogs outscored the Lancers 26-16 in the paint and turned 24 Lancer fouls into 23 made free throws.
The Lancers will take on Campbell University this Saturday, Feb. 13 while the
first-place Bulldogs take on the Liberty Flames at home.

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