Longwood men's basketball huddle
The Opening Tip
•   Coming off a 30-point win over Maryland Eastern Shore that was the program's largest-ever over a Division I foe, Longwood hosts Saint Francis (Brooklyn) Thursday at 6 p.m. in Willett Hall.
•   Thursday's game is the second in a stretch of four games in seven days for the Lancers, who will follow with another home game against Randolph Friday. Longwood will conclude that gauntlet with a trip to Northern Illinois on Nov. 18.
•   Longwood has deployed a deep rotation through its first three games of the season, using at least 11 players in each contest. Seven Lancers are averaging at least 5.7 points per game, including sophomore newcomer
Christian Wilson who leads the team with 13.3 per game.
•   The Lancers have experienced a resurgence in Willett Hall under second-year head coach
Griff Aldrich, and are 12-5 on their home floor since the 2018-19 season.
Last Time Out
••   Longwood knocked down a season-high 13 three-pointers and cruised to a an 85-55 rout of Maryland Eastern Shore Tuesday night to open the season 2-0 at home for a second straight year under head coach
Griff Aldrich.Â
•   The 30-point win was Longwood's largest-ever margin of victory over a Division I foe.
•   Sophomore forward
Christian Wilson scored a career-high and team-leading 17 points, knocking down 5-of-6 three-pointers to lead the long-range onslaught.
•   The Lancers shot 11-of-14 from three-point range in the first half and assisted on 10 of those makes.
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Sean Flood added 14 points and was a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from three, while
Jaylon Wilson added 13 points and
JaShaun Smith scored 10.
•   Longwood hit six consecutive three-pointers in the first half, with
Christian Wilson knocking down three of those and assisting on another.
By The Numbers
•   Longwood's bench has made major contributions in the first two games of the season, averaging 40.3 points, 21.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. Non-starters have accounted for 54.3 percent of Longwood's points, 60.9 percent of the team's rebounds and 54.8 percent of the assists.
•   Longwood's top scorer and three-point shooter this season has come off the bench. Sophomore newcomer
Christian Wilson leads Longwood in both of those categories with 13.3 points per game and a team-high eight treys.Â
•   Wilson has scored in double figures in all three games to start his Division I career. He has led Longwood in scoring in two of those three games, both off the bench.
•   Senior forward
JaShaun Smith ranks as Longwood's all-time leader in three-point percentage with a .390 (98-of-251) clip. He is a perfect 4-of-4 from long range to start the season.
•   Longwood's team is the tallest in school history with an average height of 6-foot-4. Nine of the team's 14 players are 6-5 or taller, including the 6-10
Ilija Stefanovic and 6-11
Abraham Deng.
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Jaylon Wilson has scored in double figures in 11 of his past 14 games dating back to last season. He is averaging 14.4 points per game in that span.
•   Wilson is Longwood's leader in plus-minus this season, posting a +47 margin in his 64 minutes on the floor. He amassed a +38 rating in Longwood's 85-55 win over Maryland Eastern Shore Tuesday.
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Shabooty Phillips and
JaShaun Smith had started 36 consecutive games together before Phillips came off the bench in Longwood's last outing.
•   Longwood is shooting .596 (59-of-99) and .500  (21-of-42) from three-point range at home this season while holding opponents to .336 (38-of-113) and .218 (12-of-55) from those ranges on the defensive end.
Quotable
"I think the best part about tonight, and the three games we have played, is how hype we get for each other. It's good hitting five threes, but the excitement I see from my teammates when I hit a shot is the best feeling—they keep me going. I think that camaraderie in the locker room can take us very far, on and off the court."
— Sophomore forward
Christian Wilson following Tuesday's 85-55 win over Maryland Eastern Shore
Series History
•   Longwood and St. Francis (Brooklyn) will play for the first time in series history Thursday in Willett Hall.
•   The Terriers' last trip to the Commonwealth of Virginia came in the first round of the 2019 College Basketball Insider Tournament, during which they fell 81-72 to Longwood's Big South rival Hampton in Hampton, Va.
•   St. Francis also faced Commonwealth rival Richmond in 2018-19, falling 88-66 in Richmond, Va.
•   Longwood's last game against a team from the Northeast Conference was against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 18, 2017. The Red Flash took that matchup 83-56 in Farmville, Va.
•   Longwood's last game against a team from New York was a 70-64 loss at Cornell on Dec. 17, 2018.
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