GAMEDAY PREVIEW: The Maturation of Darrion Allen
The Opening Tip•   Coming off a dominant 76-61 win over reigning Big South champion Coastal Carolina, Longwood heads to Buies Creek, N.C., to take on Campbell Thursday at 7 p.m. The game is the first of two straight road matchups for the Lancers, who follow at rival Liberty on Jan. 19.
•   Seven Longwood players average at least 9.0 points per game, including four double-figure scorers:
Lotanna Nwogbo (13.9 ppg.),
Kanayo Obi-Rapu (12.7),
Shaquille Johnson (11.8) and
Khris Lane (10.0).
•   Junior guard
Darrion Allen has scored in double figures in four of his past five games, the most productive such stretch of his career. Allen already had seven double-figure scoring games this year, matching the career-high total he had in 30 games as a freshman.
Last Time Out•   A 49-point second half, five double-figure scorers and a raucous home crowd propelled Longwood to a dominant 76-61 win over two-time reigning Big South champion Coastal Carolina Saturday afternoon in Willett Hall.
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Kanayo Obi-Rapu scored a team-high 17 points,
Shaquille Johnson and
Tra'Vaughn White added 16, and
Darrion Allen and
Lotanna Nwogbo combined for 25 as the Lancers dismantled the Big South's stingiest defense to the tune of a .536 (30-of-56) shooting percentage from the field.
 •   Led by Johnson's 14 second-half points, the Lancers led by double figures for the final 17:44 of the second half.
•   The Lancers allowed just two double-digit scorers and corralled all but forward Badou Diagne, who led the Chanticleers with 21 points.
By The Numbers•   Longwood has drastically improved its three-point defense over the past five games, holding each of those five opponents under .350 shooting and four of those five under .300. The Lancers have allowed those five teams to shoot just .226 (30-of-133) from long range, compared to .405 (117-of-289) in 13 games prior to that stretch.
•   Big South preseason all-conference center
Lotanna Nwogbo is averaging 15.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game on the road. He is shooting .515 (53-of-103) from the field in those games.
•   Nwogbo has scored in double figures in eight straight games and in 15 of 18 games this season.
•   Nwogbo is one of only two players in the Big South averaging at least 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game, joining Big South Preseason Player of the Year John Brown on that list.
•   Junior guard
Darrion Allen has scored in double figures in four of his past five games and seven times overall this season. Allen, whose 9.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game are all on pace for career highs, had just 10 double-figure scoring games in his first two seasons.
•   Allen leads all Longwood guards in field goal percentage (.479), three-point percentage (.436), free throw percentage (.921), rebounds (3.8), steals (28) and blocks (11). His 11 blocks are the second most of any guard in the Big South.
•   In the final 10 minutes of games this season, sophomore guard
Kanayo Obi-Rapu is shooting .448 (13-of-29) from three-point range. He has been Longwood's go-to shooting option during that final 10 minutes, taking a team-high 45 shots from the field and sinking 44.4 percent (20-of-45) of those.
•   Senior forward
Shaquille Johnson has dished a team-high 36 assists over the past nine games. He has led Longwood in assists in four of those games while also leading Longwood in scoring twice and in rebounds four times.
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