FAIRFAX — Sophomore Daeisha Brown/Richmond posted 22 points to lead three double-digit scorers, as the Longwood University women's basketball team conceded a last-second bucket to fall, 66-65, at George Mason University (5-2) on Tuesday evening in Fairfax. The Patriots' Sandra Ngoie hit the go-ahead jumper with just two seconds left on the clock to seal the decision for the home squad. The Lancers led by as many as 16 in the first half before George Mason put together a 20-10 run in the second half to knot the score at 59-59 with just over four minutes to play en route to the victory. Redshirt-senior Heather Tobeck/La Porte, Texas added to the Lancers' offensive effort with a career-high 21 points, while sophomore Khalilah Ali/Suffolk placed the team on the boards with 10 rebounds. Longwood (3-2) begins its Big South Conference schedule on the road at High Point University on Friday, December 6. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.

“I hope the ladies are disappointed because we let this one slip away,” said fourth-year head coach Bill Reinson. “If you're going to play close games, you're going to need to make plays at the end, and we didn't do that tonight. It will be interesting to see how we bounce back.”

The squads traded a pair of buckets to open the game until the Lancers scored four in a row to take an 8-4 advantage at 16:29. The Patriots cut the difference to one with a jumper from beyond the arc by Taylor Brown, but sophomore Kyndal Skersick/Orlando, FL drained a deep three to spark a 17-2 run, giving the Lancers a 25-9 lead at 11:04. The Patriots broke the silence with a layup by Tonisha Watts en route to a 14-2 run of their own, making it a four-point game at 27-23 with 5:31 remaining in the first. The teams posted five points each in the waning minutes of the period, sending the Lancers into the locker room with a 32-28 edge.

The Lancers opened the second half with a jumper from Tobeck, as the squad outscored Mason, 9-2, in the first four minutes to pull ahead, 41-30. Longwood led by 11 on two more occasions in the half, at 45-34 and at 47-36. GMU's Brown hit a jumper from beyond the arc and Tobeck knocked down a layup before another Patriot three sparked a 20-10 run for the home squad over the next seven minutes, knotting the score at 59-59 with just over four minutes to play. The Lancers pulled ahead once again before the final tie of the night came with 2:38 to play at 63-63. Brown hit a go-ahead jumper for Longwood, but the Patriots knocked down a free throw to cut the difference to one. The Lancers had a pair of chances at the free throw line in the final minute, but could not convert. George Mason took possession and Ngoie threw up the winning shot with just two seconds to play to secure the 66-65 victory.

Brown tallied her third 20+ point game of the season. Skersick rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Lancers with 10 points of her own. As a team, the Lancers shot 42 percent (65-27) from the floor, including 30 percent (20-6) from beyond the arc, and 50 percent (5-10) from the line.

Ngoie tied Brown's game-high with 22 points of her own for the Patriots. As a whole, George Mason shot 39 percent (26-66) from the field, 24 percent (4-17) from three-point territory and 71 percent (10-14) from the foul line.

Tuesday's contest marked the 12th meeting ever between Longwood and George Mason in the sport of women's basketball. GMU now leads the all-time series, 10-2.