Longwood holds off Mount St. Mary’s in women's First Four

RICHMOND, Va. -- Akila Smith had 32 points and 13 rebounds, Kyla McMakin added 18 points with four 3-pointers and No. 16 seed Longwood led by 22 points before holding off Mount St. Mary’s 74-70 in an inaugural First Four game.

Longwood will take a 10-game winning streak into a Saturday contest with ACC champion North Carolina State (29-3), the top seed of the Bridgeport Region.

The Lancers are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance — three years removed from finishing with a 3-27 record.

Longwood scored the opening 13 points of the game, with eight from Smith, and led the rest of the way. It was 36-18 at halftime — with 18 points and eight rebounds from Smith. Kendall Bresee scored 20 points for the Mount.