OPENING TIP
•   Longwood wraps up a five-game homestand by hosting the Apprentice School.
•   Fans can bring two new or gently used books to donate to the Virginia Children's Book Festival to receive a free ticket.
•   The Lancers are off to their best start in the Division I era with a 6-1 record. The last time the program had a better start through seven games was in the 2000-01 season, when the team went 7-0, as a Division II team.
•   Longwood is above .500 through seven games for the fifth time in six seasons under Aldrich.
•   The Lancers are 5-0 in the Joan Perry Brock Center after going 54-20 in the previous five years under Head Coach
Griff Aldrich in Willett Hall.
•   During the Brock Challenge, Longwood went 3-0, the first time the team has won three straight in its multi-team event.
•   Longwood has been one of the top rebounding outfits in the nation. The Lancers rank 12th in the nation in rebound margin at +11.3 per game.
Â
LAST TIME OUT
•   Longwood took down Delaware State, Lamar and Bethune-Cookman over a three-day span at the Brock Challenge.
•   The Lancers used a late rally to beat Delaware State in double-overtime, 84-82. Four players scored in double digits, with
Michael Christmas leading the way with 17 points while going 11-11 from the foul line.
•   In game two, Longwood's defense powered the Lancers to an early double digit lead against Lamar in an 83-72 win.
Johnathan Massie led the way with 20 points as four guys finished in double digits.
•   In game three, Longwood's defense paved the way after halftime to let the Lancers pull away from Bethune-Cookman in a 69-48 win. Massie again led the team in scoring with 18 points, but the Lancer defense only gave up five made shots in the final 20 minutes.
Â
BY THE NUMBERS
•   Longwood is off to its best start at the Division I level and best start since the 2000-01 team went 7-0 through seven games.
•   The team's 6-1 record is the sixth time the Lancers have started 6-1 or better in program history.
•   The Lancers have been one of the top offensive rebounding outfits in the nation, ranking 23rd in the nation with 14.7 offensive rebounds per game.
•  Â
Szymon Zapala and
Michael Christmas both rank in the top 100 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game. Zapala is 66th (3.0) and Christmas is 87th (2.86). The duo rank second and third, respectively, in the Big South
•   Longwood also ranks 12th in the nation in rebound margin at +11.3.
•   The Lancers attack the paint and are 10th in the country in free throw attempts per game at 27.6. That mark ranks second in the Big South.
•   Longwood has shot at least 30 free throws in a game three times this season.
•  Â
Johnathan Massie is 29th in the nation and leads Longwood with 47 free throw attempts.
•   Fittingly, the Lancers rank 13th in the nation in made free throws per game as well at 19.7.
•   The Longwood defense leads the Big South in points allowed per game at 63.6, which ranks 42nd in the nation.
•   The Lancers hold their opposition to .394 shooting from the floor, the third-best mark in the Big South.
•   In addition, Longwood ranks third in the Big South in steals per game at 7.4.
•   Longwood has scored 109 second-chance points, 19.7 percent of the team's total points this season.
•   The Lancer offense ranks third in the Big South at 79 points per game.
•   Longwood shares the load offensively, with three players ranking in the top 25 in the Big South in scoring.
Johnathan Massie is eighth at 14.1 points per game while
Walyn Napper is 16th (13 ppg) and
Michael Christmas is 17th (12.7ppg).
QUOTABLE
"I think these tournaments are so good because it really exposes a lot of our strengths and weaknesses. It also is really helpful for the guys. They hear the things you are telling them in practice, or you play one game, and sometimes they don't believe you. But when they see it over and over, boom, boom, boom, boom, that's really important"
—Longwood Head Coach Griff Aldrich said at the conclusion of the Brock Challenge.
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time Record vs. Apprentice School               2-1
Under Coach Aldrich                                              0-0
Current Streak                                                          1 L
First Meeting                            W 104-56 (11/21/1986)
Last Meeting                                    L 83-66 (2/3/2004)
Â
•   The two sides have not played since Longwood's final season competing as a Division II institution in 2003-04.
•   Michael Jefferson had 17 points in the last meeting, in 2004, between the two teams to lead Longwood.
•   Longwood won the first two meetings 104-56 and 102-57, with the team playing once in 1986 and once in 1993.
Â
#GoWood #HorsePower
