It has been seven years since Longwood University’s women’s basketball team has experienced a start like this, but it is territory that is welcome to the resurgent Lancers, a Longwood Athletics press release highlighted Saturday, Jan. 11.

Behind five double-figure scorers and a game-high 16 points from freshman standout Kyla McMakin, Longwood took down University of South Carolina Upstate 70-62 on Saturday, Jan. 11, to improve to 4-1 in the Big South Conference for the first time since the Lancers’ inaugural season in the conference in 2012-13, the release cited. The win is Longwood’s sixth in the past seven games and has the Lancers (8-6, 4-1 Big South) as a surprise frontrunner through the first quarter of the Big South schedule.

“Today taught us a lot,” Lancers Head Coach Rebecca Tillett said in the release. “Upstate had a great game plan against us and kept coming at us. I think we have to critically look at our foul trouble and be more disciplined in not fouling teams. Having teams score on you when the clock is stopped is not what you want to do. It was a tough win on the road, and you never take for granted getting a win on the road. Tra’Dayja Smith was incredible for us in managing today’s game down the stretch.”

After hosting Radford University on Tuesday, Jan. 14, the Lancers host High Point University on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 3 p.m.