The Opening Tip
•   Longwood returns to the friendly confines of Willett Hall for a pair of games against Winthrop to finish out the first half of conference play.
•   Through eight conference games, the Lancers have posted a 5-3 record, the best conference record through eight games under head coach
Rebecca Tillett and second-best start through eight games since joining the Big South. The best start was a 6-2 start in the team's inaugural season in 2012-13.
•   Longwood has won five straight at home and holds a 12-10 record in Willett Hall in the past two seasons.
•   Longwood has used the same starting five in all 11 games this season. The five starters all average more than 25 minutes and at least eight points per game.
•   The Lancers have three players in the top 12 in the conference in scoring, with
Kyla McMakin (18.6 ppg, second) and
Akila Smith (14.4 ppg, fifth) in the top five.
Anne-Hamilton LeRoy (11.4 ppg) is 12th.
Last Time Out
•   Trailing Big South preseason favorite Campbell 52-51 with 3.5 seconds to play, Longwood sophomore
Kyla McMakin nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Lancers to a 54-52 win Sunday afternoon at Gore Arena.
•   The Big South's No. 2 scorer, McMakin led all players with 17 points Sunday and scored 11 of those after halftime. Her game-winning triple capped off a monster run in the game's final minutes in which Longwood held the Fighting Camels (6-5, 3-3 Big South) scoreless on six of their final seven possessions.
•   The win over the reigning Big South champion Fighting Camels is the Lancers' first-ever win in Gore Arena, and their first win over Campbell since Feb. 17, 2018. Powering them to this win alongside McMakin was
Akila Smith, who notched 13 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks, and
Tra'Dayja Smith, who scored 12 points – including two huge threes in the fourth quarter.
Tra'Dayja Smith also added four assists, two steals and a block.
By The Numbers
•    Longwood's offense leads the Big South in scoring at 69.2 points per game. The Lancers have scored at least 80 points four times, going 3-1, with the three wins being by double digits. The team scored at least 80+ only three times in 2019-20.
•    The Lancer offense has pounded the offensive glass, ranking 24th in the nation while leading the Big South with 15.9 offensive boards per game.Â
•    Thanks to the focus on offensive rebounding, Longwood has piled up 194 second-chance points across 13 games thanks to 207 offensive rebounds.
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Akila Smith leads the charge to the offensive glass for the Lancers. Her 4.6 offensive rebounds per game rank eighth nationally, and she has grabbed 10 offensive rebounds three times this season. She is one of four players on the team to have at least 15 offensive boards, with
Brooke Anya (23),
Mallory Odell (16) and
Kyla McMakin (18) joining her.
•    Smith also gobbles up defensive rebounds at a high rate and leads the nation in total rebounds (149) while ranking 12th in rebounds per game (11.5). That rebounding prowess coupled with a deft touch around the basket has allowed her to tie for the nation's lead in double-doubles with eight.Â
•    On defense, the Lancers are active and disruptive. They are fourth in the nation in total blocks with 56 and lead the Big South with 5.1 blocks per game while ranking second in the conference with 8.9 steals per game.Â
•    Smith anchors the back line of that defense and is second in the nation in total blocks (35) while ranking 10th in blocks per game (3.2). She has had at least four blocks in a game five times this season.
•    Three players rank in the top 10 in the Big South in steals per game:
Akila Smith (2.0, third),
Kyla McMakin (1.8, tied for sixth) and
Tra'Dayja Smith (1.8, tied for sixth).
•    On the season, Longwood has scored 197 points off turnovers, which translates to 21.9 percent of the team's points. Against ETSU, Longwood forced 32 turnovers, the most in a single game in the team's three seasons under head coach
Rebecca Tillett.Â
•    The Lancers also boast the one of the top turnover margins in the Big South, thanks to an offense that is second in the league with 14.4 turnovers per game coupled with a defense that forces 16.8 turnovers per game (fifth in the league). Senior point guard
Tra'Dayja Smith keys the offense, with her 54 assists leading the Big South and a 1.20 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks fourth.
•    Longwood has been lights out from the free throw line this season. The team's .773 percentage (174-225) from the charity stripe leads Big South.
Kyla McMakin sits fourth on the leaderboard after shooting .843 (43-51), with
Anne-Hamilton LeRoy one spot behind her in fifth (.838, 57-68).
Series History
•   The Eagles and Lancers face off for the 25th time in program history, and their fourth time under coach Tillett. Winthop holds the all-time record edge 15-9.    Â
•   Winthrop won the most recent matchup in a tight game, 63-60 on Feb. 25, 2020.
Kyla McMakin led Longwood with 17 points, including five three pointers.Â
•   McMakin scored 17 in both matchups with the Eagles a season ago, while
Tra'Dayja Smith recorded 15 assists across the 2019-20 season series.Â
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