One month into Big South conference play, the Longwood Lancers women’s basketball team is fighting for the top spot in the Big South. Head Coach Erika Lang-Montgomery and her team sit at 14-6 overall and 5-2 in conference.
This team prides itself on defense, which has been evident all season. The team plays a high intensity full-court press that has suffocated their opponents, notching double-digit steals in 12 games. They sit within the top 10 nationally for steals-per-game, averaging 14.2.
They only surrender a three-point percentage of 25 percent to opponents and a total field goal percentage of 40 percent. Despite the defensive focus, the Lancers have been proficient on the other side of the basketball as well. They shoot just under 42% as a team, which is second best in the Big South. Two players, graduate student Malea Brown and junior Amor Harris, average over 10 points per game.
The Lancers have used the same starting five in every single game, making them one of nine division I teams to do so. Longwood cruised through non-conference with a record of 9-4, including two wins over Buffalo and Stephen F. Austin in Puerto Rico.
While Longwood added some key pieces in the transfer portal, it has been freshman Jesstynie Scott who has consistently stood out on the court. Scott is shooting 47% from the field and is top two in total steals among freshmen nationally with 56.
“Having a whole bunch of older players around me… I look up to them and they push me to be better every single day,” Scott said. Scott has earned Big South freshman of the week honors twice.
Big South play began on Jan. 3 for Longwood, as they easily dispatched Presbyterian 89-56 at home. The Lancers then grabbed road wins against Charleston Southern and UNC Asheville. Brown and Harris dominated in those games, with Harris scoring 20 against Charleston Southern and Brown scoring 21 against Asheville. Back in non-conference play, Harris splashed a go-ahead three with seconds remaining against Elon to give the Lancers a 66-65 win.
Brown is in her third and final season at Longwood, and she’s been crucial. She is averaging just under 11 points per game and is second on the team in assists. She had her best game yet against Winthrop in a dominant 100-79 Lancer victory. She scored 21 points and drilled a career-high six triples in the game .
“She’s a stat filler,” Lang-Montgomery said. “She does everything the right way and she does everything a graduate [student] is supposed to do.”
“When we play together… The energy from others pouring into you makes it easier and fun to play out there,” Brown said. Longwood had seven players with double-digit point totals, the most they have had in one game in Lang-Montgomery’s time as head coach.
Leading the way on the boards has been junior forwards Frances Ulysse and Otaifo Esenabhalu for the third consecutive season. Esenabhalu averages nine points and nine rebounds per game. From the game against UNCW on December 21 to the Winthrop game on January 14, Esenabhalu recorded five consecutive double-doubles.
Longwood suffered their first loss of Big South play at home to High Point in a titanic clash of undefeated teams. Peaks was the only player in double figures with 11 points. High Point shot 56% from the field in the second half and won the third quarter 19-8, which proved to be too much for the Lancers. “High Point is a really solid defensive unit,” Lang-Montgomery said.
Despite dropping their next game away at Radford 78-63 on Jan. 21, they picked up a home win over USC Upstate 74-50 on Jan 23. They now head back on the road to take on Gardner-Webb on Jan. 28, their first matchup against the Runnin’ Bulldogs this season.
