Women's Basketball Team Huddle
The Opening Tip
• Saturday marks the end of a three-game stretch against the top three teams in the Big South for Longwood. The Lancers have faced No. 3 Hampton, No. 2 Radford, and will finish the three-game stretch at Big South leading Campbell.
• Saturday's Big South matchup is a clash of playing styles and will feature Longwood's No. 1 scoring offense and Campbell's No. 1 scoring defense.
• Records are meant to be broken, and that is what sophomore Akila Smith did to the single-season block record for Longwood. Smith broke the record with her 57th block of the season in the loss against Radford, with five Big South contests left on the docket.
• The frontrunner for Big South Freshman of the Year, Kyla McMakin, enters the matchup averaging 25.7 points per game in her last four appearances, including two 30+ point performances.
Last Time Out
• An incredible display of offense from standout freshman Kyla McMakin was not enough for Longwood as Radford finished with four Highlanders in double-figures to defend home court and defeat Longwood, 88-76
• For the second time this season, Kyla McMakin recorded 30+ points with 16 of her game-best 32 points in the final frame.
• Adding to an incredible performance, Kyla McMakin finished with five assists and zero turnovers in 39 minutes of action. Away from the ball, McMakin swiped three steals and gathered three rebounds
• A defensive force for the Lancers all season, sophomore Akila Smith, continues to alter and block shots for the Lancers. Smith swatted a Highlander shot early in the second quarter to bring her season total to 57 blocks, breaking the single-season record for Longwood set in 2009-2010 by Chelsea Coward.
By The Numbers
• Longwood's offense is back in the top spot in the Big South Conference as the Lancers are averaging 67.4 points per game. Efficiency is a key characteristic for the Lancers offense, converting a conference-best .412 percent of field-goals taken this season.
• Offense is not all the Lancers bring to the court. Longwood's defense is one of the best in the nation in blocking shots, ranking ninth in Division I with 143 blocks and tenth in blocks per game, averaging 6.0 blocks per game. This marks the sixth Longwood team to record 100+ blocks dating back to the 2008-2009 season.
• Finding the open Lancer is key to Longwood's offense, and the Lancers are the best team in the Big South in distributing the ball. Longwood leads the conference averaging 14.1 assists per game.
• The duo of All-Big South Dayna Rouse and the frontrunner for Big South Freshman of the Year Kyla McMakin are responsible for the offensive success the Lancers have experienced this season. McMakin has made an immediate impact in the Big South in her freshman campaign, ranking first in scoring at 18.4 points per game. Rouse averages 15.2 points per game and ranks fourth in the league. Longwood joins High Point as the only two programs in the Big South with two women in the top-five in league scoring.
• A five-tool player is rare, but Longwood has one in Dayna Rouse. Rouse finds herself in the top-10 in the Big South in scoring (15.2), rebounding (7.1), double-doubles (6) FG% (.536), blocks (2.1), steals (1.6), minutes (33.7).
• Junior Tra'Dayja Smith has a knack for distributing the ball and finding the open Lancer. Smith leads the Big South and ranks seventh in Division I in assists, distributing an average of 6.4 assists per game.
• Blocks are a common theme for the Lancers' defense. Akila Smith set the single-season record with 57 blocks this season. Smith is one of two Lancers with 50 or more blocks this season as Dayna Rouse recorded her 50th block of the season against Radford.
• Playing as a freshman is hard to do, but making an immediate impact as a freshman is rare, having two freshmen making doing both is unheard of. Still, Kyla McMakin and Anne-Hamilton LeRoy are doing just that for the Lancers. McMakin and LeRoy are two of the four freshmen in the Big South, averaging double-digits for their respected programs. McMakin leads all freshmen in scoring, and LeRoy is the third-highest scoring freshmen in the Big South, averaging 11.1 points per. LeRoy ranks eleventh in Big South Conference games in field goal percentage converting on .390 percent of her shots taken in league play.
Series History
• Longwood is currently on a three-game skid against the Fighting Camels with their last victory coming in a 57-50 OT win on Feb. 17, 2008.
• In 11 appearances away from Willett Hall, the Lancers have not beaten the Fighting Camels, with all five of Longwood's series wins coming in Farmville.
• Dayna Rouse led Longwood's offense in the last matchup between the programs. Rouse finished with 17 points, six rebound, and three blocks in the loss.
