RADFORD, Va. – The Longwood University women's basketball team will play its first ever Big South Conference contest at Radford University on Saturday, December 29. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the Highlanders' Dedmon Center.

Looking at Longwood
Longwood dropped two decisions in Arizona before the holiday break to move to 3-8 overall this season. LU fell, 86-68, at the University of Arizona on Dec. 20 before suffering a 60-52 setback at Arizona State University on Dec. 22. Through 11 games, senior Chelsea Coward leads the Lancers with an average of 15.1 points and 8.8 rebounds. Senior Crystal Smith is second on the team with 13.9 points, followed by freshman Daeisha Brown with 10.4 points. Freshman Khalilah Ali is second on the team with 5.4 rebounds. As a team, the Lancers are shooting 36% (238-670) from the field, including 29% (76-260) from three-point territory, and 67% (127-191) from the free throw line.

Scouting Radford
The Highlanders are currently 5-5 overall and 0-1 in Big South action this season. The team won back-to-back contests before falling to Clemson, 74-55, in its most recent outing. RU, under the direction of fifth-year head coach Tajama Abraham Ngongba, is led by senior Ashley Buckhannon with 11.9 points per game. In addition, sophomore Ayana Avery is averaging 10.2 points, while senior Victoria Hamilton leads the team with an average of 8.1 rebounds. As a team, the Highlanders are shooting 38% (239-630) from the floor, 32% (55-170) from beyond the arc and 73% (128-175) from the line.

Series History
Radford leads the all-time series against Longwood, 16-10. The Lancers and the Highlanders first met during the 1972-73 season when LU earned a 67-52 victory. After dropping three consecutive decisions, Longwood has defeated Radford in their two most recent meetings, including earning a 73-59 decision when the teams last met on Dec. 3, 2011. In that game, the Lancers jumped out to a 15-0 lead and never looked back en route to the home win.