One unfortunate streak ended and another continued on Saturday as the Presbyterian College basketball teams took on Longwood, the victorious women at Templeton Center and the men who fell short in Farmville, Va.

The women ended a modest two-game losing streak, and the men’s consecutive setbacks stretched to five.

Led by 20 points from Tilda Sjokvist, the Presbyterian women held off Big South Conference foe Longwood, 69-66, at Templeton Center on Saturday afternoon.

“We needed this win. I think our kids felt like this was a must win. We needed a win at home and it gave us a confident boost,” stated head Alaura Sharp. “I’m so proud of Tilda for being so motivated to take care of the ball, and of Natalie Herrin for really stepping up and playing so confidently today.”

Herrin provided a career-best 14 points and three assists. In fact, Herrin, Bryanna Brady and Mara Neira also put up 14 points. Neira and Brady both grabbed six rebounds. Brady passed out five assists.

Longwood (4-14, 2-4 Big South) also had four double-figure scorers: Anne-Hamilton Leroy (22), Adrianna Shipp-Davis (14) and non-hyphenated Janay Turner and Otaifo Esenabhalu with 10 each.

Presbyterian (12-9, 3-3) only trailed for 49 seconds, but the apex of its lead was 12 late in the third quarter.

The Blue Hose took an eight-point lead to the fourth quarter. Three times the Lancers crept within a point, but Brady hit two free throws near the end to give the Blue Hose their final margin.

The Blue Hose take a break on Wednesday before traveling to Radford, Va.. for a 2 p.m. opening tip on Jan. 27 against the Highlanders.

Take a look at the stats here.

After a promising start, Quenton Ferrell’s team has run headlong into a ditch. At Joan Perry Black Center, Longwood managed to extricate itself from a similar slump, 80-70.

Waylin Napper and Szymon Zapala each scored 17 points as Longwood (14-7, 2-4) put an end to a stretch in it which had lost six of seven.

Basic reference reveals that the Lancers won each half by five points, but Presbyterian (9-12, 1-5) trailed by 15 points with 12:48 remaing and got as close as two.

Samage Teel paced the Blue Hose with 23 points on 8/11 shooting from the field. He also recorded two steals. Marquis Barnett added 13 points to go with three assists. Kobe Stewart recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Trevon Reddish-Rhone chipped in 10 points.

After Longwood took its’ 16-point edge, PC scored 12 of the next 16 points, seven by Barnett during the run.

A Barnett three-point play with 2:52 remaining brought PC within two (70-68).

The Lancers scored the next 10 points.

Most of the numbers were similar. PC sh.ot .481, Longwood .444. The Hose buried at a .304 rate from deep, the Lancers .333. PC failed at the free-throw line, hitting 11/23 (.481) to Longwood’s 28/41 (.683).

The outcome was most etched in the paint, where PC typically excels. Longwood pulled down 45 to PC’s 29, and 18 of them were offensive. Zapala had 10, four of them under the home goal.

The Blue Hose have a midweek bye and return to action next Saturday, Jan. 27 at Radford in a doubleheader with the schools’ women’s team. The men’s game is scheduled for 4:30.

Take a look at the stats here.

PC women’s wrestling went 4-0 at home, the last Templeton meet being Friday’s 37-10 victory over Emory & Henry.

Grace York and Alyssa Mahan provided the squad’s two pins in a combined 60 seconds.

From here, Presbyterian (8-6) settles into tournament mode. It heads to the Emmanuel Open in Georgia on Sunday morning, which leads into a two-week break, finding just two more regular season events until regional championships arrive.

Thanks so much for the contributions. I’m aware that folks appreciate what I do, particularly the kids, coaches, parents and fans.

Blue, Green, Purple & Red cannot solely be funded by advertising. There’s not enough room.

I used to list an address to send a check (DHK Sports, P.O. Box 768, Clinton, S.C. 29325). I finally got it through my thick head that not that many people write checks nowadays. For examplw, me. A more convenient means is sending a contribution to DHK Sports on Venmo. It keeps the site going, both in the balance sheet and on the road.

Support the advertisers, and help keep the site – the game stories, the blogs, the photos – alive. If you choose, make a monthly donation via Patreon. The Laurens County site is here. The Furman site is here.

Or, indirectly, purchase my books at MonteDutton.net. They’re entertaining in spite of the fellow who wrote them. Two of my novels, Cowboys Come Home and Lightning in a Bottle, are available in audio versions. The latest, The Latter Days, is about baseball. I’m closing in on a 10^th novel.

Photo galleries are posted on Instagram @furmanatt and @laurenscountysports.