12.27.2011

FARMVILLE, Va. – The Longwood University women's basketball team is set to face the third-ranked University of Notre Dame of the Big East Conference on Wednesday, December 28, at 2 p.m. in Notre Dame, Indiana. The Lancers will wrap up a stretch of seven games away from Willett Hall on Saturday, Dec. 31, when they play at Appalachian State University of the Southern Conference in Boone, North Carolina at 12 p.m.. Longwood returns home to face Coppin State University on Monday, January 2, at 1 p.m. in Willett Hall in Farmville. Admission is free to the Coppin State game.

Game Details
Opponent: #3 Notre Dame
Site:  Notre Dame, Indiana
Facility: Purcell Pavilion
Date: December 28, 2011
Start: 2 p.m.
Live Stats
Live Video

Game Details
Opponent: Appalachian State
Site: Boone, North Carolina
Facility: Holmes Convocation Center
Date: December 31, 2011
Start: 12 p.m.
Live Stats
Live Audio
Live Video

Game Details
Opponent: Coppin State
Site: Farmville, Virginia
Facility: Willett Hall
Date: January 2, 2012
Start: 1 p.m.
Live Stats
Live Video

Free Basketball
Admission will be free to the Longwood University women's basketball game against Coppin State University on Monday, January 2. The game is the only women's basketball home game until the Lancers host the New Jersey Institute of Technology on January 14 at 2 p.m..

Last Week
Longwood went 0-5 on a recent nine-day road trip, ending with a 70-54 loss at the University of Cincinnati of the Big East Conference on Dec. 22. The Lancers dropped a trio of games at the Wright State Invitational, falling to host Wright State University 77-44 on the first day, Central Michigan University 70-59 on the second day and Southeast Missouri State University 56-52 on the final day. Longwood opened the trip with a loss at Marshall University of Conference USA 62-48. Junior Erin Neal|Durham, N.C. (Hillside) averaged 10.2 points over the five games, while classmate Crystal Smith|Richmond (Meadowbrook) added 9.4 points per game. Senior Brittanni Billups|Goldsboro, N.C. (Eastern Wayne) averaged nine points and 9.2 rebounds and recorded a double-double against Central Michigan and Southeast Missouri.

Longwood Leaders
Longwood is led by Brittanni Billups (9.9 points, 8.6 rebounds), Erin Neal (8.9p, 2.4r,  2.4 assists) and junior Chelsea Coward|Mechanicsville (Hanover) (8.2p, 4.8r). Crystal Smith (6.8p, 2.3r, 2.8a) is also a key contributor. The Lancers are shooting 34.1% from the field, including 22.3% from behind the arc, and 64.6% at the foul line while averaging 51.6 points and allowing 67.7 points. Longwood has been out-rebounded by 7.5 boards per game and averages 10.9 assists, 20.9 turnovers, 7.4 steals and four blocks per game.

A Look At Notre Dame
Notre Dame is 11-1 and coming off a 90-38 victory over Central Florida on Dec. 20.  The Fighting Irish have won eight straight games and are a perfect 7-0 at home this season. Skylar Diggins (16.4p, 2.7r, 5.8a) and Natalie Novosel (16.4p, 3.3r) lead a quartet of double-figure scorers, while  Devereaux Peters has added 10.3 points and a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game. The Fighting Irish are shooting 47.5% from the field, including 31.5% from behind the arc, and 72.6% from the foul line while averaging 81.9 points and allowing 52.6 points per contest. Notre Dame has out-rebounded opponents by 5.8 boards per game while averaging 18.7 assists, 16.8 turnovers, 15.3 steals and 3.7 blocks. The Fighting Irish are coached by 26th-year head coach Muffet McGraw. Longwood and Notre Dame have never met in the sport of women's basketball.

A Look At Appalachian State
Appalachian State is 8-2 overall and coming off an 81-37 setback at the University of Georgia on Dec. 22. The Mountaineers had won their previous eight contests. ASU is led by Anna Freeman (16.7p, 6.9r) and Courtney Freeman (13.3p, 6.2r), while Kelsey Sharkey has grabbed a team-high 7.4 rebounds. The Mountaineers are shooting 38.9% from the floor, including 30.9% from behind the arc, and 67.4% from the foul line while averaging 69.1 points and allowing 60.1 points per contest. ASU is out-rebounding opponents by 2.6 boards per game and is averaging 13.1 assists, 19.7 turnovers, 15.1 steals and 4.8 blocks per game. The Mountaineers are led by fourth-year head coach Darcie Vincent. The Lancers are 0-4 against ASU in the sport of women's basketball and have not met since the 1985-86 season.

A Look At Coppin State
Coppin State is 2-9 and is coming off a 69-67 loss to Saint Francis (Pa.) on Dec. 21. The Eagles have lost six-straight contests and are 0-6 on the road this season. CSU is led by Jeanine Manley (11.7p, 6.2r) and Crystal Whittington (8p, 5.7r). The Eagles are shooting 35.2% from the flooring, including 25.4% from behind the arc and 62.7% at the foul line while averaging 59.1 points and allowing 63 points per contest. CSU has been out-rebounded by 2.1 boards per game and averages 10.5 assists, 22.1 turnovers, 13.8 steals and three blocks per contest. The Eagles are led by 13th-year head coach Derek Brown. Longwood and Coppin State have never met in the sport of women's basketball.

Head Coach Bill Reinson
Bill Reinson is in his 10th year at Longwood University during 2011-12, his first as women's basketball head coach, being named to the position on April 12, 2011 after serving as the interim coach since December 6, 2010 (6-17). He previously served as a Longwood men's basketball assistant coach from 2002-10 and served two seasons (2000-02) as an assistant men's coach at Southern Conference member UNC Greensboro. Additionally, Reinson served as an assistant women's coach with the Lancers for the final 13 games of 2002-03 (27-5) under long-time head coach Shirley Duncan during the final year of Division II eligibility. LU was 11-2 in those games while winning the CVAC Tournament and advancing to the second-round of the NCAA East Regional. He defeated Wright State 74-70 in his first game as interim head coach.

In Willett Hall
Longwood is 2-1 at Willett Hall during 2011-12 and 15-13 dating back to the 2009-10 season. The Lancers went 7-5 at home during 2009-10 and 6-7 during 2010-11.

Career Record Watch
Heather Tobeck and Brittanni Billups are both ranked in the Top 10 in blocked shots on the all-time list. Tobeck has blocked 106 shots, good for second on the all-time list, one away from the career record. Billups has 100, good for fourth on the all-time list.

Bench Scoring
After scoring just 18.5% of the points through the first seven games of the season, players coming off the bench scored 24 points (32.8%) in a 73-59 victory over Radford (12.3). Morgan Smith and Chelsea Coward scored nine points each, while Rianna Frazer added five points and Megan Baltzell contributed one point.

High-Scoring
Longwood scored 73 points against Radford (12.3), the most points of the 2011-12 season and the most since a 77-point outing against UNC Asheville on February 8, 2011.

Doubling Up
Brittanni Billups has recorded four double-doubles this season, including two-straight against Central Michigan (12p, 18r) and Southeast Missouri State (10p, 12r). She also has double-doubles against High Point (10p, 10r) and Radford (15p, 10r). She has 12 double-doubles in her four-year career, including a career-best five as a junior during 2010-11.

Scoring Machine
Erin Neal is averaging 8.9 points during 2011-12, up from 3.0 points per game as a freshman and sophomore. She has scored in double-figures seven times this season, including five of the past six contests. Neal scored a career-high 15 points against Central Michigan.

Multi-Talented
Three members of the women's basketball team pull double-duty at Longwood. Freshman Megan Baltzell and senior Courtney Long are both members of the softball team, while senior Kacie Oliver recently completed her four-year career with the women's soccer team. Long is a three-year starter at first base, while Baltzell is expected to see playing time behind the plate for the Lancers. Oliver finished her career with 12 goals and seven assists for 31 points, including six goals and one assist during her senior campaign.

Starters Scoring
Longwood's starters scored 43 of the Lancers' 45 points against Georgetown. Brittanni Billups (14), Erin Neal (14), Mina Jovanovic (8), Chelsea Coward (8) and Mieke Elkington (2) scored 95.6% of the Lancers' points against the Hoyas. Crystal Smith scored two points off the bench for the Lancers.

Short Bench
Six Longwood players have averaged more than 25 minutes per game so far this season, led by Chelsea Coward  with 29.6 minutes. Crystal Smith (28.4), Brittanni Billups (28.4), Mieke Elkington (25.5) and Erin Neal (25.1) have also contributed significant playing time. Mina Jovanovic was averaging 29.1 minutes before suffering an injury against Wright State. Heather Tobeck (16.7) and Rianna Frazer (13.4) are the only other players averaging more than 10 minutes per game. Last season, 12 players averaged 11+ minutes, with only two averaging 24 minutes.

Schedule Overview
Longwood plays 30 games during 2011-12, including nine home games and 19 true road matchups. The Lancers also play a pair of neutral-site games at the Wright State Invitational. Longwood faces opponents from 15 different conferences, including three Big East games and two Atlantic Coast Conference matchups. The Lancers will travel to 13 states, playing 10 games in Virginia.

The Unkind Road
Longwood plays 21 games away from home during 2011-12, including seven-straight contests away from Willett Hall in December. The Lancers also have two four-game road stretches. Unfortunately, Longwood is 0-10 away from home this season, including 0-8 in true road games. The Lancers are 6-46 in true road games over the last four season, including 1-14 last season, 2-13 during 2009-10 and 3-11 during 2008-09.

Nationwide Travelers
Longwood will play in 12 different states in addition to Washington, D.C., during 2011-12, including 10 games in Virginia, four in North Carolina and Ohio, and two in Indiana and Kentucky. The Lancers will play one game in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Utah, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.

On The Road Again
Longwood will travel 15,176 miles during 2011-12, including 8,056 miles by airplane and 7,120 by bus. The Lancers will fly to Miami and Notre Dame, as well as San Diego State, Air Force and Utah Valley. Longwood has three bus trips longer than 1,000 miles, including a 1,400 mile trip to Murray State and Eastern Kentucky.

Feels Like The First Time
Longwood will face 11 opponents for the first time during 2011-12.  The Lancers are 0-5 against first-time opponents this season. Longwood will host two of those opponents, Coppin State and Dartmouth, and face Air Force, Central Michigan (L, 59-70), Cincinnati (L, 54-70), Georgetown (L, 45-56), Miami (L, 43-92), Murray State, Notre Dame, San Diego State and Southeast Missouri State (L, 52-56) on the road.

Against the Big East
Longwood has three games against teams from the Big East this season, including the season-opener at #11 Georgetown (11.11 - L, 45-56). The Lancers also travel to Cincinnati (12.22 – L, 54-70) and Notre Dame (12.28 - 2 p.m.). Longwood is 0-5 all-time against teams in the Big East and will be facing all three opponents for the first time.

Next Up...
Longwood hits the road again for a three-game, nine-day road trip. The Lancers open the trip at San Diego State (1.4.12, 10 p.m. ET), then face Air Force (1.7.12, 4 p.m. ET) before wrapping up the trip at Utah Valley (1.10.12, 9 p.m. ET).