Longwood University Athletics

Game 17: Longwood (7-9, 4-1 Big South) vs. USC Upstate (10-4, 2-1 Big South)
Date & Time	Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 | 3 p.m.
Location	Farmville, Va. (Willett Hall)
Game Notes	Longwood | USC Upstate | Big South
Statistics	Longwood | USC Upstate | Big South
Live Stats	Longwood Live Stats
Video/TV	ESPN+
Social Media	@LongwoodLancers | @LongwoodWBB

The Opening Tip:

• Longwood received their first loss in conference play on the road in against Campbell.
• Kyla McMakin and Akila Smith combined for over half of the Lancers points against the Camels, but were unable to rally over the large runs by the conference foe late in the second half.
• Tuesday's game against USC Upstate will be only the ninth time in history the two teams have met, dating back to 2009.
• Under Tillett, the Lancers have won five straight but each game presented its own battle - three of the last four being decided by single-digits. 
• USC Upstate enters the game with an overall record of 9-3 taking on somewhat of the same strategy as Longwood in building a tough nonconference schedule. The Spartans played opponents like Clemson, Western Carolina, Florida, and Kentucky.
• Longwood, overall 4-1 in the conference, prepares to continue its five-game winning streak against the Spartans, 0-2 in the Big South.

By the Numbers:

• Akila Smith has been one of the top shot blockers in the country throughout this season. She ranks first in the Big South with 49, and is ranked fourth nationally. 
• Tra'Dayja Smith is the leading passer in the Big South for the second year in a row, with 83 assists on the year, and is ranked 18th nationally.
• Kyla McMakin and Akila Smith are ranked amongst the top scorers in the Big South. Both McMakin and Smith have now strung together five games in a row with double-digit scoring. This is the second straight season the duo remains in the top five. 
• Kennedy Calhoun has been a menace to opposing guards defensively, and has made a stance for herself going into conference play. Calhoun earned her first ever Freshman of the Week honor after stringing together two more games in double-digit scoring and collecting eight assists last week. She now has 47 steal (2.94 spg) and is ranked seventh nationally for steals - as a freshman point guard.
• Akila Smith wrote her name in the Longwood record books again with her second career triple double, the third in team history, with a 20-point, 11-rebound, 10-block effort at Sam Houston on Nov. 30.
• Following the opening week in conference play, Smith averaged a double-double against opponents, making it five total for her on the year.

Series History:

• Last meeting between Longwood and USC Upstate ended in a layup with eight seconds left by Akila Smith to cap the win for the Lancers.
• In the most recent battle on the court, despite it was Longwood's tenacity on defense that was able to overcome the Spartans efficiency on offense to grab the win by two.
• In the "Tillett era," Longwood is 5-1, but four of those games have been decided by less than 10 points. 

Quoteables

"We played a solid half, but in the second half we didn't do the things we thought we needed to, to beat Campbell. Where I thought Campbell did the things they wanted to do, to best us. In this league we always have opportunities to play great teams next, so it's all about fixing the issues and getting better for the next opponent." - Head Coach Rebecca Tillett

"We all just have to keep getting better and encouraging each other moving forward. I just want to keep reminding the team of how good we can be and we'll go from there together." - Senior Forward Akila Smith 

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