The Opening TipÂ
•   Longwood returns to Willett Hall to face off against the Eagles of Winthrop University as the Lancers celebrate 'Women's Empowerment.' All women in attendance will receive free admission to the game. Â
•   The Lancers enter Tuesday's competition with the hopes of splitting the season series as the Eagles got the best of Longwood 74-63 in their previous matchup on Jan. 21.Â
•   The frontrunner for Freshman of the Year in the Big South Conference, Kyla McMakin earned her seventh weekly recognition from the conference office Feb. 24. McMakin is now one of six women in Big South history to earn the honor seven or more times and is one weekly honor shy of matching the conference record of eight Freshman of the Weeks in a single season.
•   Junior Tra'Dayja Smith is nine assists shy of breaking the Longwood single-season assist record of 161 assists set by Caren Forbes in 1986-87.
Last Time Out
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•   The Big South leading Fighting Camels of Campbell were taken to the wire on their home floor by Longwood, but the Fighting Camels led by Kianna Speight overcame the Lancers offense in the final minutes, defeating Longwood 81-76Â
•   Longwood had three Lancers finish with double-figure scoring performances led by the freshman duo of Kyla McMakin and Anne-Hamilton LeRoy. The freshman pair knocked the best defense in the Big South on their heels, combining for 39 points.
•   McMakin finished with a game-high 20 points, shooting 12-13 from the free-throw line. LeRoy finished with 19 points, shooting a clip of .600 (6-of-10) from the floor.
•   Defensively, Longwood continued their trend of blocking 6.1 shots per game, with seven blocks in the loss. All-Big South Dayna Rouse protected the rim for the Lancers with a game-best four blocks.
By the Numbers
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•   Longwood's offense is back in the top spot in the Big South Conference as the Lancers are averaging 67.8 points per game. Efficiency is a crucial characteristic for the Lancers offense, converting a conference-best .411 percent of field-goals taken this season. Â
•    Offense is not all the Lancers bring to the court. Longwood's defense is one of the best in the nation in blocked shots, ranking ninth in Division I with 151 blocks and eighth 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.Â
•   Finding the open Lancer is key to Longwood's offense, and the Lancers are second in the Big South in distributing the ball. Longwood leads the conference averaging 13.9 assists per game.Â
•   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 15.0 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.Â
•   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 (15.0), rebounding (7.0), double-doubles (6) FG% (.535), blocks (2.1), steals (1.5), minutes (33.5).    Â
•   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.Â
•   Blocks are a common theme for the Lancers' defense. Akila Smith set the single-season record with 60 blocks this season. Smith is one of two Lancers with 50 or more blocks this season as Dayna Rouse is closing in on Smith with 53 blocks this season. The pair of shot-blockers have combined for 113 blocks this season, matching No. 2 High Point in the statistical conference standings.Â
•   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 11.4 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 has dropped two straight against the Eagles, including the previous matchup this season at Winthrop on Jan. 21, when the Eagles bested Longwood 74-63.    Â
•   Head coach Rebecca Tillett seeks her first win against the Eagles in her two-year tenure with the Lancers.    Â
•   Dayna Rouse and Kyla McMakin each finished with a double-double in the previous matchup. Rouse finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while McMakin finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds
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