Longwood Set to Open 2020-21 Season at Duke
Women's Basketball
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The Opening Tip
• The Lancers are set to make their season debut on the road, clashing with the Blue Devils of Duke to open their 2020-21 season at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.
• Longwood enters its third year under the leadership of head coach Rebecca Tillett, who helped engineer one of the biggest turnarounds in the nation by leading her team to a program-record tying eight Big South wins in 2019-20.
• Losing just one starter, the Lancers return nine letterwinners from 2019-20 including reigning Big South Freshman of the Year Kyla McMakin.
• The sophomore guard McMakin, who was also named to the 2020 All Big South First Team, was picked to earn the distinction again in the 2020-21 Big South preseason poll.
• Senior point guard Tra'Dayja Smith was named to the preseason watch list for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which honors the nation's top point guard, becoming the first in Longwood history and second in Big South history to be recognized on this list.
• Tra'Dayja Smith averaged 6.5 assists per game, ranking her fourth in the nation while shattering Longwood's record with 188 assists in 2019-20.
• Junior forward Akila Smith will look to continue her rise after a breakout sophomore season as the top shot blocker in the Big South, and sophomore Anne-Hamilton LeRoy returns after being named to the All-Big South Freshman team last season.
• Longwood assistant coach and former Duke women's basketball captain Ka'lia Johnson returns for her second season on the Longwood bench. Johnson helped lead Duke to four consecutive 20-win seasons from 2011-2015, including back to back appearances in the NCAA Elite Eight in 2012 and 2013. She served as a team captain in the 2014-15, ranking fifth in the ACC in assists per game while starting 32 of 34 games at point guard.
By the Numbers
• Longwood's offense finished the 2019-20 season ranked second in the Big South in scoring offense, racking up 67.9 points per game, and the team returns 77.6% of it's scoring from a season ago.
• The Lancers knocked down 32.9 percent of their three-pointers, good for the second best mark in the Big South. Kyla McMakin led the team with 2.4 made triples per game.
• Longwood blocked shots at an eye-opening rate, leading their conference with 176, more than 50 greater than second place. Leading the block party at the rim was Akila Smith, who shattered Longwood's block record with a league-best 74 rejections.
• The Lancer defense also ranked third in the conference in steals per game with 9.0 steals per game, while forcing 16.9 turnovers per game.
• Longwood was money at the charity stripe in 2019-20, shooting a Big-South best 74.8 percent from the line. Kyla McMakin led the team in percentage at 80.4 percent after sinking 82 in 102 attempts.
• McMakin paced the conference in scoring, averaging 18.8 points per game on her way to Big South Freshman of the Year honors while breaking Longwood's freshman scoring record with 565 points. The Virginia Beach, Va. native also set Longwood's Division I single-game scoring record with 36 points against Presbyterian on Feb. 8
• Lancer floor general Tra'Dayja Smith was the top passer in the Big South, as her 6.5 assists per game ranked 4th in Division I. She also recorded the first triple-double in Longwood history, notching 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists against Charleston Southern on 1/9/2020.
• Akila Smith's program single-season record 74 blocks gives her 98 career blocks through two seasons, ranking her 8th in program history in career blocks, trailing Heather Tobeck's record of 158.
• Longwood returns two starters who averaged double-digit points per game a season ago in Kyla McMakin (18.8) and Anne-Hamilton LeRoy (11.1). Graduating senior Dayna Rouse also averaged double figures in 2019-20 (15.0).
Series History
• The Lancers will travel to Durham, N.C. for the second time in program history, and the first under third year head coach Rebecca Tillett.
• Longwood fell to the Blue Devils in their only meeting, as Rebecca Greenwell led Duke with 30 points on Nov. 15, 2016.
• A completely new look Lancers team will take the court against the Blue Devils, as no returning players from their last meeting will return.
• Newly appointed Duke head coach Kara Lawson will be making her coaching debut, as neither head coach was with their school in the first meeting between Duke and Longwood
#GoWood
