FARMVILLE, Va. -- Katie Whidden sank two free throws with 11 seconds remaining to give the Elon women's basketball team a 62-61 victory over Longwood from Willett Hall on Wednesday night. Elon, who trailed by as many as 12 in the second half, improved to 9-9 on the season while Longwood dipped to 6-14.

The Phoenix jumped out on top early, building a six point advantage at 17-11 on a Tierra Bumbrey three with 12:16 to play in the first half. Longwood chipped away and grabbed a 25-23 lead on an Amber Mason layup with 5:59 to go in the half. The Lancer lead ballooned to 13 points with 2:28 remaining when Amber Sims' layup made the score 38-25. Elon trimmed the margin to five at 38-33 at the break.

A Bumbrey steal and layup at the 18:34 mark of the second half saw Elon trim the deficit to one at 38-37, but Longwood responded by going on an 11-1 run over the next 5:57 to build a 49-38 which was capped by a layup from Ashley Mason. The Lancer lead would hit 12 with 8:26 to go as Keiva Small converted an old fashioned three-point play.

The Phoenix never folded and fought back, closing the gap to tws points at 60-58 on a Kitara McMoore layup with 43 seconds left. Small came down and hit one of two free throws for the Lancers before Elon's Bumbrey nailed a pull-up jumper with 26 seconds remaining.

On their next possession, Bumbrey picked Ashley Mason and drove down the floor before Elon called a timeout with 12 seconds showing on the clock. On the ensuing inbounds play, Whidden went up for a layup and was hit from behind, sending her to the charity stripe where she converted the game-winning free throws. A buzzer shot from Longwood's Jessica Wilkerson drew iron and fell to the floor to secure the Elon victory.

Whidden finished the night with 10 points and five rebounds and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the line. Teammate McMoore recorded her ninth double-double on the season, netting a game-high 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Shipley added 12 markers while Bumbrey pitched in nine points and five steals.

Longwood's Ashley Mason scored 16 points and secured a game-high 15 rebound for her seventh double-double of the year. Small added 13 points off the bench and Courtney Dyer hit four field goals for 11 points.

The Phoenix was able to convert 11-of-13 free throw attempts for the game to only 6-of-12 for the Lancers. In the first stanza, Longwood shot a blistering 51.5 percent from the field, but cooled in the second half, shooting just 28.6 percent in the period.

Elon swiped 10 steals to eight for Longwood while the Lancers held edges in rebounding (41-34) and assists (15-11). Both teams blocked two shots.

Elon returns to SoCon action on Saturday night when the Phoenix visits Chattanooga for a 7:00 p.m. tip.