Lancers, Panthers Set for Offensive Shootout
Women's Basketball
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The Opening Tip
• A high scoring affair is in order when Longwood and High Point matchup in Willett Hall. The Lancers and Panthers rank first and second in the Big South in scoring with Longwood (67.0) having the edge over High Point (64.8).
• The two leading scorers in the Big South will take Jerome Kersey Court today, with Kyla McMakin using her 29 point performance to raise her average to 16.8 points per game, passing High Point's Skyler Curran (16.3) on the leader board for the top spot.
• The Lancers 4-2 start in Big South play is the second-best start to conference play in program history, and are four victories from matching the most Big South wins in program history.
• In her second campaign for Longwood head coach Rebecca Tillett and the Lancers have defended Willett Hall with five of their eight victories occurring at home.
Last Time Out
• A record-breaking crowd of 1,812 fans witnessed a miraculous 12 point fourth-quarter comeback that fell one-point short for Longwood as Radford held on for a 62-61 victory.
• Kyla McMakin matched her career-high with 29 points, scoring 17 points in the final frame. McMakin added to her offensive performance with six rebounds.
• The Highlanders needed three players in double-figures led by Khiana Johnson with 20 points to outlast the Lancers 22-11 run in the final quarter.
• Joining McMakin in double-figures was Anne-Hamilton LeRoy using two treys and 5-of-6 from the free throw for 13 points, her eighth double-figure scoring performance of the season.
By the Numbers
• Longwood's offense has emerged as one of the best in the Big South Conference. The Lancers lead the league in scoring offense (67.0) and field goal percentage (.400) while ranking in the top three in assists (13.2 per game) and three-point field goal percentage (.310).
• The offense is not the only threat opponents have to prepare for when matching up against Longwood. The Lancers are the No. 10 team in Division I in blocked shots per game, averaging 5.7 blocks per game. Leading the way not only for Longwood but the Big South Conference is Akila Smith (2.3) and Dayna Rouse (1.8) who rank first and second in the conference.
• Distribution and finding the open woman is vital for Longwood, and nobody does it better than Tra'Dayja Smith. Smith leads the Big South and ranks No. 7 in Division I averaging 6.3 assists per game.
• Longwood is one of two Big South schools (Hampton), with three players averaging 10+ points per game. Two of the three women averaging 10+ points per game are the freshman duo of Kyla McMakin (16.8) and Anne-Hamilton LeRoy (10.6). McMakin (1st) and LeRoy (16th) are the two highest-scoring freshmen in the Big South. Joining the freshman duo averaging 10+ points per game is All-Big South Dayna Rouse averaging 14.8 points per game and ranks sixth in the conference.
• Dayna Rouse leads the Big South in field goal percentage (.527) while ranking in the top-10 in scoring (14.9), rebounding (6.7), blocked shots (1.8), free throw percentage (.791).
• The Lancers' defense is third in opponents' field goal percentage (.381) and fourth in steals in per game (9.3). Kyla McMakin leads the team and ranks seventh in the conference averaging 2.0 steals per game. • Longwood (70.2) remains the only Big South member to average 70+ points per game in conference play.
Series History
• Longwood hopes to end a stretch of 16 straight losses to the Panthers of High Point, and the first victory inside of Willett Hall against the Panthers dating back to December 2004.
• The last win against the Panthers came on Dec. 18, 2009, in High Point, N.C., when Longwood defeated High Point, 76-68.
• The previous contest between the programs saw Longwood with two Lancers in double-figures with Mallory Odell scoring 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds.Â
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