Lancers Hosting George Mason in Pack the House Night
Kyle Centers
Issue date: 12/3/08 Section: Sports
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Rotunda Reporter
The Longwood University women's basketball team looks to pack the house when they take on in-state rival George Mason University Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. in Willett Hall. The Patriots (0-6) come into the matchup in Willett Hall having lost 13 consecutive games dating back to last season with their last win coming in February when they defeated Delaware.
Women's basketball's last home game was against the now 6-0 Richmond Spiders in which the Lancers fell behind early in the game when the Spiders went on a 14-2 run in the first five minutes of the game leaving a final score of 72-47 Richmond. The game marked the 14th matchup between the two teams and left the series at 7-7 with each of the two sides winning seven of the games they have played.
The Lancers followed up with a road match against 5-2 Syracuse University in which senior Amber Sims and freshmen Kayla Loughner and Brittanni Billups led Longwood in scoring with six points each. Longwood was off to a good start keeping the Orange lead in the single digits for the first 10 minutes of the game, but their effort was not enough to stop the onslaught of the Orange who held a 17-point advantage at the half. The game ended with a dismal 72-40 leaving the Lancers at their current record of 2-4.
In the three Lancer losses, the team has failed to display an offensive threat
scoring 42, 40 and 47 points respectively.
On the defensive end, the Lancers have allowed an average of 65.6 points in their past three games including defeats by 32 and 25 points. The upper echelon of competition the Lancers are facing is part of the reason for the level of play as they are competing against highly-rated opponents. Games against Big East, Atlantic 10, ACC, and CAA opponents prove that the Lancers are improving their chances of being recognized on a national level. Second-year head coach Kristin Caruso holds an 18-17 record in her short time at Longwood. Adding seven new freshmen to her team, Caruso's program is unique in that she is giving the seven new players significant playing time on the court.
Caruso is trying to instill in her players a strong work ethic. "Sometimes I'm a little tougher than I'd like to be, but it's necessary with such a young team," she said at a media luncheon earlier in the semester. "They're starting to understand how hard they're going to have to work."
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