Longwood defeated Mount St. Mary’s 74-70 on Thursday night to advance from the First Four and will be NC State’s opponent on Saturday afternoon. The Lancers are about 60 spots ahead of Mount St. Mary’s in the HerHoopStats Ratings (call it the women’s hoops KenPom proxy), so the outcome was not unexpected. The Lancers outscored the Mountaineers 22-5 in the first quarter and held off a major second-half rally.
It’s fitting that Longwood moved on, because BeeJay Anya’s sister, Brooke, is a sophomore forward on the team. (If you’re going to the game, please give Brooke a warm welcome.