November 23, 2009

COMPLETE GAME NOTES (PDF)

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University will play at Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) member the University of Richmond in men's basketball Tuesday night, November 24, at 7 p.m. in the Robins Center (9,071) in Richmond. The Lancers and Spiders have met two times previously in Richmond with UR winning 74-60 on January 2, 2006 and 83-72 on November 20, 2006. Longwood (0-4) is coached by seventh-year head coach Mike Gillian, and will be led by 6-5, 230-pound redshirt-senior guard/forward Dana Smith who is averaging 14.3 points and 6.8 rebounds. Richmond (3-1) is coached by fifth-year head coach Chris Mooney and is led by 6-0 junior guard Kevin Anderson (19.3 points). The game can be heard locally on WVHL Radio, Kickin' Country 92.9, as well as the Internet via TEAMLINE also linked at www.longwoodlancers.com.

Series History
Longwood and Richmond are meeting for the third time in the sport of men's basketball. The Spiders have won both previous contests played at the Robins Center: 74-60 on January 2, 2006 and 83-72 on November 20, 2006. The Lancers are 1-4 against members of the A-10, having played George Washington (1-2) as well; earning an 80-78 win past the Colonials last January 3 at home in Willett Hall.

A Look At Richmond
Richmond (3-1) is coached by fifth-year head coach Chris Mooney (60-71). The Spiders defeated Chattanooga 75-49 on Sunday (11.22) as Kevin Anderson scored a game-high 23 points, while Francis Martel added 10 points off the bench. Dan Geriot grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for UR. Anderson leads Richmond with his 19.3 points per game, followed by David Gonzalvez (13.5), Justin Harper (12.3), Geriot (9.0), and Ryan Butler (6.8). The Spiders are averaging 78.5 points, and allowing just 59.8 points.

A Look At Longwood
Longwood finished 17-14 last year, the program's highest win total since beginning Division I scheduling in 2004-05, and the most wins overall since 2000-01, a +8 turnaround from the previous season that tied for 18th-best in Division I. The Lancers (0-4) lost at Columbia 72-61 last Friday (11.20) as Dana Smith scored 22 points, while Antwan Carter added 12 points off the bench. Smith and Carter each grabbed six rebounds for LU. Carter leads Longwood with his 15.5 points per game, followed by Smith (14.3), Billy Robinson Jr. (7.8), Aaron Mitchell (7.3), and Kevin Swecker (7.0). The Lancers are averaging 67.0 points, and allowing 83.5 points. Longwood is playing its fourth road game in 12 days, and its fifth game overall during a brutal eight-game stretch that includes seven games away from Farmville during the opening 20 days of 2009-10. Fortunately, the Lancers will play six consecutive home games in Willett Hall from December 5-28.

Head Coach Mike Gillian
Mike Gillian (North Adams State '86) was named the seventh head coach for men's basketball at Longwood on May 2, 2003. Prior to his arrival, he had been an assistant coach for Jim Larranaga at George Mason for six years (1997-2003) after a year with Coach Larranaga at Bowling Green State (1996-97). A native of Ayer, Massachusetts, Coach Gillian is 51-134 at Longwood, including last year's 17-14 record while earning 2009 Independent Coach of the Year honors from CollegeInsider.com. He had back-to-back 9-22 seasons the previous two years (2007-08, 2006-07), those efforts following a record of 10-20 during 2005-06 that tied for Division I's seventh-best turnaround season that year. The Lancers were 1-30 during 2004-05, their first year playing against a full Division I schedule.

2009 South Padre Island Invitational
Longwood is participating in the exempt four-game South Padre Island Invitational November 17-28, 2009. The first two games of the event take place on the road at Old Dominion (11.17, L 98-59) and Richmond (11.24) before playing two games at the South Padre Island Convention Centre in Texas against Bethune-Cookman (11.27) and either Chattanooga or Texas-Pan American (11.28). Also playing in the eight-team tournament are Mississippi State and Missouri. This weekend's two games on South Padre Island will be streamed live on the Internet via PPV ($8 per game) on the FOX College Sports Broadband Network. A link to the FCS Broadband site can also be found at www.longwoodlancers.com.

Against the Commonwealth
Longwood has played 12 of the other 13 Division I schools located within the Commonwealth of Virginia since 2004-05. They include Hampton (1-1), James Madison (2-2), Liberty (3-3), Norfolk State (2-1), Old Dominion (0-2), Radford (0-1), Richmond (0-2), Virginia (0-5), Virginia Tech (0-1), VCU (0-3), VMI (0-2), along with William and Mary (0-2). The Lancers are 27-43 all-time against these schools, including 8-25 since 2004-05. This year's schedule includes games against Hampton, James Madison, Old Dominion, Richmond, Virginia, Virginia Tech, along with William and Mary. The only other Virginia school that has not been on the regular season schedule is George Mason, however, Longwood has scrimmaged against the Patriots on two occasions, including just prior to the start of 2005-06 when George Mason made its remarkable run to the Final Four in Indianapolis.

The Unkind Road
Longwood has traveled to 27 different states and Washington, D.C. while playing 95 games away from Farmville during the last five-plus years of Division I scheduling, including 81 true road games (7-74). The Lancers' favorite state to visit since 2004-05 is North Carolina for nine games against Appalachian State (1), Campbell, (2), High Point (3), North Carolina A&T (1), North Carolina Central (1), and Wake Forest (1). The Lancers' 14 neutral-site games (4-10) have been played in seven different cities: Atlantic City (0-1), Charleston, S.C. (1-0), Chicago (0-2), Las Vegas (3-3), Lincoln, Neb. (0-2), New York City (0-1), and San Francisco (0-1).

Road Warriors Again
Longwood is scheduled to play 19 games away from home this season, including two neutral-site contests in Texas during the South Padre Island Invitational, though such numbers are not new to the program as mentioned previously. The Lancers will visit nine different states during 2009-10, including California, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Texas, though adding just one new state (South Dakota) to their list started in 2004-05 with Division I scheduling. In addition to playing at Virginia this year, Longwood also plays on the road at in-state schools Hampton (3.1.10), James Madison (2.22.10), Old Dominion (11.17), Richmond (11.24), Virginia Tech (12.30), along with William and Mary (12.2).

For more game notes and statistical information, please download the PDF linked above ...