The Opening Tip
•   In a bid to start 4-0 at home for the first time since 2000-01, Longwood hosts Frostburg State Friday night at 7 p.m. in Willett Hall.
•   The Lancers have started perfect on their home court under head coach
Griff Aldrich, defeating Randolph, Delaware State and VMI by double digits and an average of 21.3 points per game.
•   Longwood's 6-3 record is the program's best nine-game start of the Division I era. The last time the Lancers won at least six of their first nine games came in 2000-01 under head coach Mike Leeder.
•   Frostburg State is the alma mater of Longwood assistant coach
Maurice Williams, who graduated in 2012 after earning All-CAC first-team and CAC All-Academic Team honors. Williams, the first official coaching hire of Aldrich's tenure at Longwood, also spent two seasons on the bench at his alma mater in 2014-15 and 2015-16 under his former head coach, Webb Hatch.
Last Time Out
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Shabooty Phillips posted his second straight 20-point game and his first career double-double, and Longwood shut down VMI's high-powered offense in a 65-45 rout of the Keydets Saturday afternoon at Willett Hall.
•   Phillips led the way with a career-high 23 points, scoring all of those in the second half as Longwood improved to 3-0 on its home court.
JaShaun Smith also added 18 points.
•   Longwood's defense put together its best effort of the season, holding VMI to just 45 points and limiting guard Bubba Parham – the nation's ninth-leading scorer – to a season-low seven points on 2-of-15 shooting from the field.
•   VMI entered the game averaging 82.4 points per game but managed just 45 points and a .270 (17-of-63) shooting percentage against a Longwood team that leads the Big South in opponent scoring average and opponent field goal percentage.Â
By The Numbers
•   Longwood is the Big South's top defensive team, leading the conference in opponent scoring average (59.6 ppg.), opponent field goal percentage  (.374), rebounding margin (+5.8) and defensive rebounding percentage (.802).
•   Longwood ranks among the NCAA's top 25 in scoring defense (15th), opponent field goal percentage (18th) & defensive rebounds per game (25th).
•   Two of Longwood's three losses this season have been by one possession — 42-39 at Charlotte and 64-62 versus Denver. Longwood is 2-2 in games decided by one possession this season with wins of 66-63 over Maryland-Eastern Shore and 67-65 against Fairfield.
•   The Lancers have played their most dominant basketball at home, winning all three games in Willett Hall by double digits with two of those wins coming by at least 20 points. The Lancers are outscoring opponents by 21.3 points and outrebounding them 6.6 boards per game on their home floor.Â
•   Longwood has outrebounded eight of its first nine opponents and boasts a Big South-leading +5.8 rebounding margin.Â
•   Guard
Shabooty Phillips is one of only two Big South players to rank among the league's top 10 in both rebounding and assists, joining reigning Big South Player of the Year Chris Clemons. Phillips also leads the league in free throw percentage and ranks fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio.Â
•   Longwood's point guard duo of
Shabooty Phillips and Seán Flood — both junior transfers as part of head coach
Griff Aldrich's first recruiting class — combine to average 18.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.2 steals & a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
•   Leading scorer
Isaiah Walton has missed the past four games, during which Longwood has gone 2-2, compared to 4-1 with him in the lineup. The Lancers average 68.2 points per game with Walton compared to 61.0 without him.
Series History
•   Longwood and Frostburg State meet for the first time Friday in Willett Hall.
•   Longwood is 22-5 against teams currently in the Capital Athletic Conference. The last time Longwood faced a CAC team came on Dec. 13, 2012 against Southern Virginia.Â
•   Longwood is 6-0 against CAC teams since becoming a Division I institution in 2004-05 with all of those wins coming against Southern Virginia.
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