Tweet #lancerstrong

VIDEO INSIDER (YouTube) | ONLINE TEAM GUIDE | FOLLOW ON TWITTER | BIG SOUTH WEEKLY REPORT (PDF) | LIBERTY GAME NOTES (PDF)

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University dropped two Big South Conference men's basketball road games last week, falling 82-72 at North Division and in-state rival Radford University on January 16, and 68-65 at South Division opponent and two-time defending Big South Champion UNC Asheville on Jan. 19.  The Lancers continue to look for their first conference victory with an overall record of 3-16, including 0-5 in the Big South.  Longwood will play its third consecutive game on the road (in six days) at North Division and nearby in-state rival Liberty University on Tuesday, Jan. 22 at the Vines Center in Lynchburg at 7 p.m. (MASN2/ESPN3), followed by a visit to Farmville and Willett Hall by South Division opponent Presbyterian College on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. It is the annual 'Take a Kid to the Game Day' as all youth ages 18 and under will receive free admission to Saturday's home game against the Blue Hose.

Looking Back on Radford
R.J. Price scored a game-high 30 points, including 10-10 free throws, to lead RU to its home win. Junior captain Tristan Carey|Colonial Beach led LU with 23 points in the North Division contest.  The Highlanders led 41-31 at halftime and secured the outcome with 13-15 free throws over the final 8:44, including 6-6 by Price, who also made two late three-point field goals.  RU scored the first basket of the second half to lead 43-31 at 17:59, before Carey scored 11-straight points in just 1:58 to pull the Lancers within 43-42 at 15:35.  Carey's outburst included three three-pointers along with a steal and slam-dunk.  After a Highlanders' layup, Carey connected on his fourth three-pointer in the second half to tie the game at 45-45 with 14:19 remaining, and it was 47-47 at 13:34 after a layup by freshman Lucas Woodhouse|Greenlawn, New York. It was still a two-point game at 56-54, RU, with 9:45 on the clock following a layup from redshirt-sophomore Jeylani Dublin|Brooklyn, New York, but the hosts used a 14-6 run that included the two three-pointers by Price to lead 70-60 at 3:58.  RU scored 10 of its final 12 points at the free throw line.  Woodhouse added career highs of 12 points and 10 assists, the latter a game-high, for his first collegiate double-double.  Freshman Michael Kessens|Nyon, Switzerland finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.  LU shot 49% (27-55) from the field, including 54% (14-26) in the second half, 41% (7-17) on three-pointers, and 73% (11-15) at the free throw line.  RU shot 48% (28-59) from the field, including 38% (6-16) on three-pointers, and 87% (20-23) at the line.  The two teams will meet again next month on February 16 at Willett Hall during the Longwood men's basketball Reunion Day that will include a Jerome Kersey Bobblehead giveaway.

In the Words of Head Coach Mike Gillian
“Another close, hard-fought game.  We made a few mistakes in the first half that put us in a 10-point halftime hole.  We came out playing with some resiliency to start and throughout the second half and were able to get the game back to even.  We've been in these close, end of game situations a few times now - we have to keep working to break through and come out on top.”

Looking Back on UNC Asheville
Jeremy Atkinson scored 17 points, including the go ahead free throw with 35.3-seconds left, to lead UNC Asheville to its hard-fought home win.  Junior captain David Robinson|Chesterfield led LU with a game-high 20 points, but the visitors missed a layup and two three-point field goal attempts in the final minute. The Bulldogs, two-time defending Big South Champions, also got two free throws from Trent Meyer with 18.7-seconds remaining.  The Lancers used an 18-3 run to lead 20-13 at 10:17 behind 15 points by Robinson, who scored the first 12 points for LU, and it was still a 25-17 lead at 7:57, as junior Mark Parker|Clayton, North Carolina, connected on a three-pointer, off the bench, the fifth in the early going with Robinson having made three at that point, and Michael Kessens making the first of his collegiate career. The Lancers led 33-27 at 4:23 after a layup by Lucas Woodhouse, but Asheville closed the half on a 13-6 run to lead 40-39 at the intermission. The Bulldogs, who won at St. John's (72-65) and only fell by two points at nationally-ranked North Carolina State (82-80) earlier this season, continued their momentum to begin the second half, increasing the run to 21-10 over the two periods to lead 48-43 at 17:23.  Tristan Carey answered with back-to-back three-pointers and LU was within 50-49 at 15:41.  Asheville, though, took its largest lead of the second half at 60-53 with 10:11 left to play.  The Lancers, however, would not go away and closed to within 62-60 at 5:09 on a three-pointer by Robinson, were within 64-62 at 4:00 after a layup from Kessens, and finally tied it at 64-64 with 2:07 to go on a jumper from Woodhouse. Atkinson made 1-2 free throws at 1:59, and Kessens made 1-2 free throws at 1:41, leaving it at 65-65. Following a defensive stop, Robinson missed a three-pointer with 51-seconds left, before Atkinson made 1-2 free throws at 0:35.3.  Woodhouse missed a floater in the lane with 21-seconds to play, and Meyer made two free throws at 0:18.7.  After timeouts by both teams, Carey got a good look from deep on the left wing in three-point territory that was off iron with two-seconds left and rebounded by the hosts as the clock expired.  Kessens added 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double, Carey finished with 13 points and five rebounds, while Woodhouse had a career-high and game-high 11 assists.  LU shot 44% (24-55) from the field, including 39% (9-23) on three-pointers, and 62% (8-13) at the free throw line.  Asheville shot 43% (24-56) from the field, including 8% (1-12) on three-pointers, and 76% (19-25) at the line.  LU played without starting guard, freshman Nik Brown|Ashburn, who did not make the trip to North Carolina after suffering a concussion at RU on Jan. 16.

In the Words of Head Coach Mike Gillian
“Another step closer.  We played well throughout the course of the game and were right there, tied with just over two minutes to go.  An interesting thing happened at a timeout with three minutes left and us down by two.  The guys on the team were saying 'the real game is just starting now, let's go!'  It's a sign of us learning from past experience, and subsequently, we made all the right plays in the last three minutes.  We got exactly the shots we wanted on each of our last five possessions, but didn't come out of those possessions with quite enough points to come out on top.”

Leading the Lancers | Season Statistics
Tristan Carey (15.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 45 3FGs) and Michael Kessens (11.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 55% FG) lead Longwood.  Nik Brown (9.7 points, 3.6 assists), Jeylani Dublin (9.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 53% FG) and David Robinson (9.1 points, 24 3FGs) have also been in the starting lineup.  Karl Ziegler|Annandale (5.8 points) and Lucas Woodhouse (3.6 assists) have been first off the bench this season along with junior Jeff Havenstein|Mt. Airy, Maryland (1.4 rebounds).  The Lancers are scoring 66.5 points per game, allowing 82.3 points, while shooting 43% (478-1115) from the field, including 30% (96-319) on three-point field goals and 65% (211-327) at the free throw line, adding 13.6 assists.

Big South-Only
In five Big South games, Tristan Carey (16.6 points, 5.4 rebounds), Nik Brown (12.5 points, 3.3 assists), Michael Kessens (12.2 points, 8.6 rebounds) and Lucas Woodhouse (4.8 points, 6.8 assists) are finding the conference games to their respective likings.  Carey is at +1.5 (15.1 to 16.6) in scoring with 15 three-point field goals (3.0). Brown (+2.8, 9.7 to 12.5) has made 12-14 free throws (86%) with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.4 (13 assists, 9 turnovers).  Kessens (+0.6) has made 24-38 field goals (63%).  Woodhouse (+2.2) has an impressive 2.8 assist/turnover ratio (34 assists, 12 turnovers), compared to an already very good 1.6 ratio overall (69 assists, 44 turnovers).

Looking Ahead to Liberty
Liberty is located in nearby Lynchburg, and has an enrollment of 12,500.  Dale Layer is in his fourth season with the Flames where he has compiled a record of 53-61.  Liberty has a record of 5-14 overall, including 1-4 in the Big South following a 68-60 road loss at Presbyterian on Jan. 19, following a 77-72 double-overtime road loss at High Point on Jan. 16.  Juniors Davon Marshall (11.8 points, 49 3FGs) and John Caleb Sanders (10.9 points, 22 3FGs), along with senior Tavares Speaks (10.9 points) lead the Flames.  Sophomore Tomasz Gielo (8.8 points) and junior JR Coronado (5.3 points, 8.5 rebounds) have also been in the recent lineup.  Liberty is scoring 64.2 points per game, allowing 69.2 points, while shooting 41% (420-1023) from the field, including 37% (136-371) on three-pointers and 67% (244-367) at the line, adding 12.4 assists.  Longwood and Liberty have met 25 times since the 1977-78 season, and the Lancers lead the overall series, 17-8, including a 79-68 home win in the most recent meeting on February 22, 2008.  The two schools met six times from 2005-08, each winning the three games played on their respective home floors.  Overall, Longwood is 5-7 against the Flames in games played in Lynchburg, and 12-1 in games played in Farmville.

In the Words of Head Coach Mike Gillian
“Our performance continues to progress, which leads us to be very excited about the two games coming up this week.  Liberty is a team that, like us, is beginning to play better. They are a perimeter-oriented team and we'll need to do a good job defending their perimeter players.  Our defense has been steadily improving, and continuing to do so on the road Tuesday night will be a big factor in the game.”

Looking Ahead to Presbyterian
Presbyterian is located in Clinton, South Carolina, and has an enrollment of 1,200.  Gregg Nibert is in his 24th season with the Blue Hose where he has compiled a record of 380-322.  PC has a record of 4-15 overall, including 1-4 in the Big South (prior to hosting Charleston Southern on Jan. 23) following a 68-60 home win against Liberty on Jan. 19.  Senior Khalid Mutakabbir (15.1 points, 32 3FGs), redshirt-sophomore Jordan Downing (13.5 points, 44 3FGs) and junior Joshua Clyburn (10.4 points, 6.1 rebounds) lead the Blue Hose.  Sophomores Eric Washington (5.7 points, 6.2 assists) and Ryan McTavish (5.6 points) have also been in the recent lineup.  PC is scoring 60.6 points per game, allowing 69.9 points, while shooting 45% (434-972) from the field, including 34% (112-326) on three-pointers, and 74% (171-230) at the line, adding 11.8 assists.  Longwood and Presbyterian will be meeting for the first time ever.

In the Words of Head Coach Mike Gillian
“It's our only home game over a three-week stretch so we're obviously going to be fired up to play in front of the Longwood fans again, especially the students, when Presbyterian comes to Willett Hall on Saturday afternoon.  We had a chance to see them play firsthand earlier this year while we were both in Las Vegas, so we have a good idea of what they do and how they do it, and that will help us in preparing for them.”

Oh So Close …
Longwood continues to look for its first-ever Big South men's basketball victory.  The Lancers have been competitive in each of the first five conference games, and with the exception of one game (Charleston Southern), have been tied or within three possessions of the lead at the final media timeout (under 4:00).  The average margin of defeat in the five leagues games is at 8.8 points, including Coastal Carolina (8), Campbell (10), CSU (13), Radford (10) and UNC Asheville (3).

Longwood Against The Big South Conference
Longwood is 40-50 all-time against current members of the Big South Conference, and has played every current member with the exception of Presbyterian.  Prior to this season, and since becoming Division I-eligible in 2007, the Lancers were 7-6 against Big South schools.  Longwood series records against the conference schools include: Campbell (3-4), Charleston Southern (1-1), Coastal Carolina (1-1), Gardner-Webb (5-3), High Point (6-13), Liberty (17-8), UNC Asheville (0-3), Radford (4-13), VMI (2-3) and Winthrop (1-1).

This is a First
Longwood is eligible for league statistical rankings for the first time in its Division I era. Through Jan. 19, Michael Kessens leads the Big South in rebounding (9.5) and double-doubles (8), ranks second in offensive rebounds (3.2) and defensive rebounds (6.3), fifth in blocks (1.5), 10th in minutes (32.0) and 21st in scoring (11.6).  Tristan Carey ranks fourth in three-point field goals (2.4) and steals (2.0), fifth in minutes (33.4), tied for sixth in scoring (15.1), seventh in three-point percentage (.360) and 12th in field goal percentage (.435) and defensive rebounds (4.1).  Jeylani Dublin ranks in a tie for sixth in offensive rebounds (2.8), tied for ninth in double-doubles (2) and is 14th in rebounding (6.1).  Nik Brown ranks eighth in assists (3.7), 11th in assist/turnover ratio (0.9) and tied for 12th in free throw percentage (.688).  Lucas Woodhouse ranks eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.6) and ninth in assists (3.6).

Division I Statistical Rankings
Through Jan. 20, Michael Kessens ranked 16th nationally in double-doubles (8), 29th in rebounding (9.5) and 130th in blocks (1.5).  Tristan Carey ranked 61st in steals (2.0), 97th in three-point field goals (2.4), 199th in scoring (15.1) and 210th in field goal percentage (.435).  Nik Brown ranked 209th in assists (3.6).  Lucas Woodhouse ranked 211th in assists (3.6). Jeylani Dublin ranked 229th in double-doubles (2).  The Lancers ranked 130th in assists (13.6), 141st in steals (7.3) and 186th in field goal percentage (.429).

No Place Like Home
Longwood has attained a home record of 48-25 in Willett Hall over the last five-plus years since receiving its NCAA Division I certification and eligibility for 2007-08.  Not including the first season playing a Division I schedule in 2004-05 (1-10), the Lancers are 62-35 at home over the past seven-plus years.  Though a very uncharacteristic 2-6 at home this season, Longwood was 7-5 during 2011-12, 10-4 during 2010-11, 9-3 during 2009-10, an outstanding 13-2 during 2008-09, 7-5 during 2007-08, 6-6 during 2006-07, and 8-4 at home during 2005-06.  Overall, Longwood has compiled a record of 266-144 on its home court over 32-plus years since playing its first intercollegiate contest in the building on November 22, 1980 against the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, a 62-54 victory by the Lancers.

Leaving the Non-Conference Behind
Longwood has played 14 non-conference games this season and only has a yet-to-be-determined Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters (non-conference) game remaining on February 23, to be announced on Feb. 4.  The non-league slate was brutal with nine games away from Farmville, including road losses at No. 12 Creighton (RPI: 22), No. 21 Georgetown (RPI: 57), VCU (RPI: 29), Arkansas (RPI: 83) and Seton Hall (RPI: 87).  The Lancers have also lost on the road at Canisius (RPI: 139) and Marshall (RPI: 214), the latter to open the season.

The Three-Point Stat
Longwood has made at least one three-point field goal in 319 consecutive games, dating back to a road game at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne (11.26.02, 0-6 3FGs), including a school-record 20 three-pointers made at home in Willett Hall during 2011-12 against now Big South opponent VMI (12.12.11, 20-40 3FGs).  The streak, however, was in jeopardy a year ago against UMKC (11.26.11, 1-13 3FGs) during the 2011 Chicago Invitational Challenge in Hoffman Estates, Illinois as Longwood made just one three-pointer with 9:18 remaining in the game.  The Lancers have made 96 three-pointers (5.1) in the first 19 games this year, including 17 made during the two games in Las Vegas on Nov. 23-24.  Longwood has made a season-high nine three-pointers two times, including against Cornell (9-22, 41%) in Las Vegas on Nov. 24 and at UNC Asheville (9-23, 39%) on Jan. 19. The season-low is one made three-pointer at home against Southern Virginia on Dec. 13 (1-8, 13%).

Big South Conference Weekly Honors
Michael Kessens has been named The Crons Brand/Big South Freshman of the Week two times this season: on Nov. 19 for his efforts against Norfolk State (17 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks, one steal) and Arkansas (17 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, two blocks, one assist), and on Dec. 17 for his efforts against No. 21 Georgetown (10 points, five rebounds, one assist) and Southern Virginia (16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, one steal).  Nik Brown has been named The Crons Brand/Big South Freshman of the Week one time this season on Jan. 7 for his efforts against Fairleigh Dickinson (12 points, three rebounds, a career-high five steals, four assists) and Coastal Carolina (19 points, one rebound, five assists).

Collegehoopsdaily.com Honor
Collegehoopsdaily.com has named Michael Kessens one of the five best players in the Big South Conference for the first half of the 2012-13 season.  At the time (14 games), he was averaging 11.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 52.1% (63-121) from the field (0-4 3FG) and 68.0% (34-50) at the free throw line.  Kessens added 30.8 minutes per game, along with 22 blocks and 19 steals while posting a league-best six double-doubles.  Others named to the list were D.J. Covington of VMI, Anthony Raffa of Coastal Carolina, Stan Okoye of VMI (named the best) and Darren White of Campbell.

VisitMyrtlebeach.com Big South Championships
The 2013 VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Men's Basketball Championships will take place March 5-10 at The HTC Center, Coastal Carolina's new Student Recreation and Convocation Center in Conway, South Carolina.  All 12 Big South member schools will participate with seeding by divisions -- the top two teams with the best overall conference win-loss percentage in each of the divisions shall receive the top four seeds in the championship and first round byes. The remaining seeds shall be determined based on divisional finish.  In the event of a tie for a particular seed, the seed will be determined within each division.  Longwood is in the North Division along with Campbell, High Point, Liberty, Radford and VMI.  The South Division includes Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian, UNC Asheville and Winthrop.

Proud New Member of the Big South Conference
In case you missed it … Longwood became the newest member of the Big South Conference on July 1, 2012.  Conference officials had announced on January 23, 2012 that Longwood would become the League's 12th member following a unanimous vote by the Big South Council of Chief Executive Officers.  The announcement was made on campus by Big South President and Radford University President Penelope W. Kyle, along with Big South Commissioner Kyle Kallander, former Longwood Board of Visitors Rector and current interim President Marge Connelly, former Longwood President Patrick Finnegan and Director of Athletics Troy Austin.  The addition of Longwood increases Big South membership to 12 institutions for the first time in League history, and the conference now has four members based in Virginia (Liberty, Longwood, Radford, VMI), as well as four each in North Carolina (Campbell, Gardner-Webb, High Point, UNC Asheville) and South Carolina (Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, Presbyterian, Winthrop). The Lancers had competed as a Division I Independent since 2007.

Big South Network
The Big South Network is the official video provider for all Big South Conference games.  Each member institution is required to produce broadcasts for every home basketball game to be streamed live via the conference network.  A paid subscription is required to view live events, with both single-game and season passes available.  The Big South Network has an archive of on-demand videos that can be viewed for free.  You can view the Longwood Lancers TV site to watch all of the Lancers' webcasts and see a schedule of upcoming events by visiting longwoodlancers.com or bigsouthsports.com.

What's Ahead Next Week?
Longwood will return to the road for games at North Division opponent High Point University on Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m., followed by a visit to South Division opponent Gardner-Webb University on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.