February 3, 2009
COMPLETE GAME NOTES (PDF)
FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University will host the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore in men's basketball Wednesday night, February 4, at 7 p.m. in Willett Hall (1,807) on-campus in Farmville. The Lancers and Hawks met earlier this season in Princess Anne, Maryland with Longwood winning 61-49. Longwood (11-10) is coached by sixth-year head coach Mike Gillian, and will be led by 6-5, 225-pound redshirt-junior guard/forward Dana Smith who is averaging 14.3 points and 6.5 rebounds. UMES (6-14) is coached by veteran collegiate head coach and Virginia native Frankie Allen and is led by junior forward Neal Pitt (16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds). It will be Greek Night at Willett Hall, while Longwood Athletics is also offering free admission to all Faculty and Staff as well as free admission to all youth ages 13 and under. Tickets remain and will be available at the Willett Hall Ticket Office or by calling 434.395.2138.
Series History
Longwood and Maryland-Eastern Shore are meeting for the fourth time in the sport of men's basketball, and the second time this season. The Lancers lead the series at 2-1 after taking a 61-49 road win against the Hawks in Princess Anne, Maryland back on November 22.
November 22, 1980: Longwood 62 - UMES 54 / Farmville
January 28, 1981: UMES 82 - Longwood 75 / Princess Anne
November 22, 2008: Longwood 61 - UMES 49 / Princess Anne
A Look At UMES
UMES, a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), has a record of 6-14 after its 65-48 home loss to Coppin State on Monday (2.2). The Hawks are coached by Virginia native and first-year head coach Frankie Allen (Roanoke, '71) who is in his 19th collegiate season as a head coach. UMES is led by junior Neal Pitt (16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds) and freshman Keishawn Mayes (8.5 points, 6.1 rebounds) off the bench. Also expected in the starting lineup are senior Gary Lee (5.9 points), sophomore Marc Davis (5.5 points), along with freshmen Jamie Boyer (6.0 points) and Tyler Hines (4.5 points).
A Look At Longwood
Longwood has a record of 11-10 after its 106-46 home win past Columbia Union this past Saturday (1.31). The Lancers have posted their highest win total as a Division I program, and since 2002-03 (15), while led by redshirt-junior Dana Smith (14.3 points, 6.5 rebounds), senior Ryan Bogan (14.3 points), and junior Kevin Swecker (10.0 points). Also expected in the starting lineup are junior Billy Robinson Jr. (6.8 points) and sophomore Durann Neil (6.8 points, 3.2 assists).
RPI Ratings
Longwood is rated 242 in this week's NCAA RPI among the 343 schools playing Division I men's basketball. The Lancers also have an average rating of 257 among the following six rating services: CBS Sportsline RPI, the CollegeRPI.com, Ken Pomeroy's College Basketball RPI, RealTimeRPI.com, RPIRatings.com, and the Sagarin Ratings. Longwood has played five opponents ranked among the Top 100 in the NCAA RPI, including West Virginia (16), Florida (35), Virginia Tech (38), Kentucky (68), and Virginia (97). The highest rated opponent that the Lancers have defeated this season is James Madison (141). UMES is rated 323 by the NCAA, and averages 329 among the other six.
The Friendly Confines
Longwood is 30-17 (.638) at home in Willett Hall over the past three-plus years, including 9-2 this year following a 7-5 record in Farmville during 2007-08. The Lancers were 8-4 at the facility during 2005-06 before finishing with a record of 6-6 at home during 2006-07. Overall, Longwood is 234-126 (.650) in the building since it opened for the 1980-81 season. The Lancers have averaged 1,102 in overall home attendance this season through 11 games, but the average is 1,211 during the nine games with students on-campus attending classes. Let's Fill the Hall - Greek Night in Willett Hall!
NCAA Statistical Rankings
Longwood ranks fifth nationally in Division I turnover margin (6.2), forcing 20.5 opponent turnovers to its 14.3 with fewer turnovers than its opponents in 20 of 21 games with one tie. The Lancers also rank ninth nationally in steals (9.7), 37th in assists (15.8), 50th in three-point field goals (7.7), 57th in scoring offense (75.8), 69th in three-point field goal defense (.320), and 70th in assist turnover ratio (1.1). Individually, Durann Neil is 44th nationally in Division I assist turnover ratio (2.19), Kevin Swecker is 58th in steals (2.0), Dana Smith is 83rd in field goal percentage (51.1), and Ryan Bogan is 94th in steals (1.9).
For more game notes and statistical information, please download the PDF linked above ...
