CLINTON, S.C. – In a back-and-forth game, the Presbyterian College women's basketball team came out on top with a 53-48 Big South Conference win over the Longwood Lancers at the Templeton Center in Clinton, S.C.
The Blue Hose improve to 9-8 overall and 4-4 in Big South Conference action, while the Lancers fall to 2-16 overall and 2-7 in the conference. PC next hosts Charleston Southern on Tuesday at 7 p.m. while Longwood takes a weeklong break from competition before hosting Charleston Southern on Saturday at 2 p.m.
After PC took a 28-27 lead into halftime, the Blue Hose fought off a determined Lancers squad for the thrilling win. The two sides traded the lead eight times in the second half with each team going back and forth. Longwood led by three points 5:20 into the period before PC went on a 5-0 run to re-take the edge. A brenna Robbins broke a 39-39 tie but the Blue Hose turned to Elizabeth Landers (Greenville, S.C.) and Cortney Storey—who scored a team-high 11 points—to go back ahead.
Storey tied it up for the final time 45-45 on a layup with 7:32 to play and Janie Miles (Clemson, S.C.) put PC up 47-45 with just under seven minutes left to give the Blue Hose a lead they would not relinquish. The game would remain scoreless for the next five minutes before Rebecca Walker (Snellville, Ga.) scored on a layup to give the Blue Hose a four-point lead. Walker came up big again with a floater after Longwood's Kyndal Skersick hit her fifth and final three-pointer of the game and Storey made two foul shots to ice the five-point win for the Blue Hose.
Storey scored nine second-half points en route to a team-high 11 points. Walker and Allie Wagner (Easley, S.C.) each tallied 10 points for PC, while Wagner pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
Kyndal Skersick hit five three-pointers for 15 points for the Lancers, while Breanna Robbins scored 12 points. Longwood's 11-for-26 performance from behind the arc is a season-high number of three-pointers for the visitors.
PC shot 45 percent (23-51) from the field and out-rebounded the visitors 41-29. The Lancers finished the game shooting 31 percent (16-51) from the floor and 45 percent (5-11) from the charity stripe. The Blue Hose dominated the paint, outscoring the Lancers 32-6 inside and 21-12 from the bench.
The victory marks the first time PC has won back-to-back games since December 2.
PC jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, but Skersick hit two three-pointers to give Longwood a 6-5 lead at the first media timeout of the opening half (16:24). The Blue Hose fought back to take an 11-point, 22-11, lead with 8:36 to play, but Longwood closed out the half with five three-pointers, outscoring PC 16-6 during the final stretch, to trail the Blue Hose only 28-27 at the break. Wagner came off the bench to lead PC in the first half with eight points, while Skersick finished the half with four three-pointers for 12 points.
