The Opening Tip
•   After an eight-day break for the holidays, Longwood returns to the court Saturday to take on The Citadel in the 2018-19 non-conference finale.
•   The Lancers enter the matchup 9-5 overall, their best 14-game start since 2000-01.
•   After a November in which they went 5-3, Longwood is 4-2 in December, securing back-to-back months over .500 for only the second time in the program's 15-year Division I era.
•   Longwood assistant coach
Marty McGillan spent four seasons as an assistant coach at The Citadel from 1997-2001 under former head coach Pat Dennis. He also spent one year on staff at neighboring College of Charleston in 2001-02.
•   Longwood has faced The Citadel head coach Duggar Baucom seven times, all of which were when Baucom was head coach at VMI. Baucom's Keydets and the Lancers were both members of the Big South in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Last Time Out
•   Seán Flood scored a career-high 21 points and hit five three-pointers to lead a three-point barrage that propelled Longwood past Stetson 77-63 and improved the Lancers to 6-0 in Willett Hall.
•   Flood sank 5-of-6 three-pointers,
Jaylon Wilson hit 4-of-5 and
Juan Munoz was a perfect 3-of-3 as the Lancers (9-5) knocked down a season-high 17-of-32 treys.
•   The 17 three-pointers were Longwood's second most in the Division I era, trailing only the 20-of-40 Longwood made in a win over VMI on Dec. 12, 2011 against current The Citadel head coach Duggar Baucom.
•   Point guard
Shabooty Phillips dished six assists during 23 turnover-free minutes, while forward
Damarion Geter added five helpers and just one turnover.
•   All six of Phillips' assists led to three-pointers, while he hit two treys of his own.
By The Numbers
•   At 9-5 heading into Saturday's non-conference finale at The Citadel, Longwood has secured the program's first winning non-conference record since joining the Big South in 2012-13. In Longwood's 15-year Division I era, only the 2008-09 Lancers, who went 17-14 as a Division I independent, finished above .500 in non-conference play prior to 2018-19.
•   Longwood's breakout 2018-19 season has come under the direction of first-year head coach
Griff Aldrich, who at 9-5 (.643) ranks 11th in winning percentage among the 55 newly hired head coaches in Division I basketball.
•   Of the 18 new head coaches who inherited teams that won single-digit games last year, only Aldrich and Pitt's Jeff Capel (9-3) have winning percentages above .500.
•   The Lancers are the Big South's top defensive team, leading the league in opponent scoring average (62.2), opponent field goal percentage (.382) and rebounding margin (+5.1).
•   Longwood has allowed only two of its first 14 opponents to score more than 70 points.
•   The Lancers have outrebounded 10 of their first 14 opponents and have been outrebounded just three times — by three against Seattle, by one against Frostburg State and by one against Stetson.
•   In 28 halves this season, Longwood has allowed 40 points just three times. The Lancers have held the opposition to fewer than 30 points in a half nine times and fewer than 20 twice.
•   Of the 51 assists dished by point guard
Shabooty Phillips, 40 have led to three-pointers.
•   Point guard Seán Flood is shooting .500 (11-of-22) from three-point range over his past five games.
•  Â
JaShaun Smith has scored in double figures in six consecutive games. He has a career-high 10 double-digit scoring games this season.
Series History
•   Longwood and The Citadel meet for the first time in series history Saturday in Charleston, S.C.
•   The Citadel is the second Southern Conference opponent Longwood has faced this season after defeating VMI 65-45 on Dec. 1, 2018.
•   Longwood is 2-5 against teams currently in the Southern Conference since making the jump to Division I during the 2004-05 season.
Â
#GoWood
