The Opening Tip
• Longwood has won eight straight while posting a 15-5 overall record, their best start in the team's Division I history.
• The team's eight straight wins are the most since the 1994-95 squad won eight straight.
• The Lancers are the lone remaining unbeaten team in the Big South, and the seven straight conference wins mark a program best.
• Longwood boasts the league's top scoring outfit and third-best defensive unit by points allowed per game.
• The Lancers are playing the first of two straight on the road, with trips to UNC Asheville and Charleston Southern this week.
•
Justin Hill was named the Big South Co-Player of the Week on Jan. 31 after averaging 21.3 points over three games from Jan. 24-29.
• The Lancers are 12-1 in Willett Hall this season, the most wins since the 2008-09 team went 13-2.
Last Time Out
• Longwood topped Winthrop 92-88 to stay unbeaten in Big South play in front of a sold-out Willett Hall.
•
Justin Hill scored a career high 29 points, and
DeShaun Wade and
Isaiah Wilkins each hit clutch 3-pointers in the final two minutes. Wade (18 points) and Wilkins (16 points) each finished in double figures.
• Both Longwood and Winthrop got hot from the floor, as Winthrop went 12-26 from beyond the three-point line, and Longwood went 14 of 25 from distance.
• The Lancers led for the entire second half after closing the first half on a 23-10 run over the final few minutes.
•
Zac Watson and
Nate Lliteras added 12 points apiece for Longwood.
• Sin'Cere McMahon was one of five in double figures for Winthrop with a team-high 17 points.
By The Numbers
• Longwood's offense has been one of the top outfits in the Big South sharing the basketball all season. The Lancers lead the league with 15.1 assists per game. Point guard
Justin Hill ranks second in the league in assists per game (4.1).
• Longwood has totaled more assists than turnovers in 14 of 20 games this season. The team has had less than 10 turnovers in a game six times this season.
• Against N.C. A&T, Longwood had four turnovers, the the lowest in a game since Jan. 25, 2011 against Campbell that saw four Lancer turnovers.
• The team's 12.6 turnovers per game rank as the third-fewest in the Big South, and the team leads the Big South in turnover margin (+2.4).
• Longwood's bench is contributing 31.2 points per game, with 10.5 of those coming from
Leslie Nkereuwem. Nkereuwem leads the Big South in scoring off the bench.
• The Lancers lead the Big South in scoring offense (79.0 points per game) and rank third in scoring defense (65.1 points allowed per game). Longwood is one of two Big South schools ranked among the league's top five in both categories. Longwood leads the conference in scoring margin with an average of +14.8 points per game.
• Longwood has excelled on its home court under fourth-year head coach
Griff Aldrich, amassing a 38-17 record in Willett Hall during his tenure. That includes a 12-1 mark this season, an 8-5 record in 2020-21, an 8-6 record in 2019-20 and a 10-5 mark in 2018-19.
• Only eight teams have scored more than 65 points  against Longwood. The Lancers have held six teams to 55 points or fewer.
• The Lancers' +7.8 rebounding margin ranks 12th nationally, while their 12.8 offensive rebounds per game are second in the league.
Quotables
"This is an incredible college basketball atmosphere. It's unbelievable. I've seen very few atmospheres where there's just no available seating, people are standing. To think about where we were when we started four years ago, I'm just so thrilled for the students, I'm thrilled for the community members. I think everybody's having a lot of fun."
— Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich about a packed Willett Hall vs. Winthrop
Series History
• The two teams played three times last season, with Longwood winning the final two matchups. Longwood and UNC Asheville split the regular season series in Farmville before Longwood won teh rematch in the Big South Quarterfinals 77-61 as four players scored in double figures.
•
Leslie Nkereuwem poured in 18 points, and
DeShaun Wade added 17 points in the playoff game.
Jesper Granlund and
Juan Munoz each added 10.
• The last regular season matchup in Asheville between the two teams went down to the wire, with Asheville hanging on to win 73-71 on Feb. 13, 2020.
#HorsePower
