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The Longwood women shot 53% from the floor and put five players in double figures for a 84-68 victory over UNCW at Trask Coliseum on Sunday.

Amor Harris matched her career high with 23 points on 10-for-14 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, to lead all players, while Kiki McIntyre added 16 points, six rebounds and six assists. Needing just seven points for 1,000 in her career the graduate guard from Boston reached the milestone on a layup at the 4:42 mark of the second quarter.

“Coming off break, I wasn’t really sure how we would start the game,” head coach Erika Lang-Montgomery said. “I thought we came out and we punched first. I wasn’t sure if we’d have our legs because of our style of play, what that was going to look like. But we came out ready to play and started the game very aggressive. I think we made our first four baskets and took off from there.”

How the Longwood women did it

The Longwood women used a 9-0 run over 1:42 in the first quarter to erase a brief Seahawks’ 5-4 lead, getting five points from Malea Brown in the stretch, and never never trailed again. The Lancers led 20-13 after the first quarter, 51-39 at halftime and 71-48 after three periods. The Lancers opened the first of two 24-point leads — their largest of the game — on a Lili Booker bucket to make it 69-45 with 1:24 to play in the third quarter. Booker tallied 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 18 minutes off the bench.

With the win, Longwood (9-5) closes December at 5-1, its best record in single a month since finishing January 7-2 in the 2022 Big South championship season. Further, the Lancers’ league-leading nine wins match their most in a season in each of the first two years under Lang-Montgomery as Big South action begins next week.

“We’re very much a process-oriented team, not really looking at that win-loss column,” said Lang-Montgomery. “We’re just really focusing on what’s in front of us, taking it one game at a time. And so, we’ve still got a lot of season left and want to just continue to play good basketball as the season progresses.”

Otaifo Esenabhalu, who restored the 24-point bulge later in third quarter, had 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Brown netted 11 points, six rebounds, three steals and three assists. 

Setting some marks

It marked the second time this season the Lancers saw five score double-digit points and the first time in 2024-25 Longwood shot over 50 percent, going 35-for-66 overall. Longwood also tallied 50 points in the first half for a second consecutive game after posting 57 in the 105-38 rout of Webber International on Dec. 18.

“That was something I told our team after the game that I just thought this is a really unselfish basketball team,” Lang-Montgomery said of the five in double figures. “And I just encouraged them to stay in this moment and continue to love each other the way they do and great things can happen for us.”

Longwood’s team play was also evident in dishing 21 assists, a third time this season LU reached at least 20. Longwood outrebounded UNCW (6-7) by a 38-34 margin and forced 24 turnovers, which translated to 32 points.

Taylor Henderson paced three UNCW players with double-digit points, scoring 18. She added 10 rebounds for a double-double.

Up next for Longwood

Now, the Longwood women get set to open league play, welcoming Presbyterian directed by former Longwood assistant coach Tiffany Sardin, to the Joan Perry Brock Center Thursday at 2 p.m., on ESPN+.

“I love the way we closed out non-conference,” Lang-Montgomery said. “And now we start our preparations for Big South play.”