The Opening Tip
•   Longwood hits the road for a two-game series against Campbell following a two-game sweep of USC Upstate to open the calendar year.Â
•   Through six conference games, the Lancers have posted a 4-2 record, the second time in three seasons the team has picked up four wins in its first six Big South contests under head coach
Rebecca Tillett. It is the third time the team has accomplished the feat since joining the Big South in 2012-13.
•   Longwood is seeking its first road win of the season. The team is 5-2 at home while 0-4 on the road following a tough non-conference slate coupled with two games at UNC Asheville.
•   Longwood has used the same starting five in all 11 games this season. The five starters all average more than 26 minutes and eight points per game.
•   The Lancers are one of two teams in the Big South with three players averaging 10 or more points per game:
Kyla McMakin (18),
Akila Smith (15) and
Anne-Hamilton LeRoy (12).
Last Time Out
•   Tied at 52-52 with just eight seconds remaining, Longwood forward
Akila Smith drained the game-winning layup to lift the surging Lancers to a 54-52 win over USC Upstate Tuesday evening in Willett Hall.Â
•   Behind Smith's four blocks, the Lancers outscored the Spartans 30-20 in the paint and limited the Spartans to just 18 made field goals, their fewest in a Big South game this season. That defense came through to the buzzer as well, as the Spartans' final shot from Jada Logan missed at the buzzer, securing Longwood its second two-game sweep of the Big South season.
•   Now winners of four of their past six games and five straight at home, the Lancers' most recent victory came by way of three double-digit scorers (McMakin, Smith, LeRoy) and a stifling defensive effort against USC Upstate's efficient offense. The Spartans entered the game ranked among the Big South's top four in assists and field goal percentage but shot just 30.0 percent from the floor and committed 14 turnovers against the Lancers.
By The Numbers
•    Longwood's offense leads the Big South at 72 points per game, one of two offenses averaging at least 70 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 20th in the nation while leading the Big South with 16.7 offensive boards per game. In conference play, Longwood is the only team to have grabbed more than 100 offensive boards, bumping its average to 17.2 offensive rebounds per game.
•    Thanks to the focus on offensive rebounding, Longwood has piled up 169 second-chance points across 11 games thanks to 184 offensive rebounds.
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Akila Smith leads the charge to the offensive glass for the Lancers. Her 5.0 offensive rebounds per game rank third 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 (18),
Mallory Odell (16) and
Kyla McMakin (16) joining her.
•    Smith also gobbles up defensive rebounds at a high rate and leads the nation in total rebounds (126) while ranking 13th 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 seven.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 176 points off turnovers, which translates to 22.2 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 top turnover margin in the Big South, thanks to an offense that averages a league-low 13.6 turnovers per game coupled with a defense that forces 17.4 turnovers per game (fourth in the league). Senior point guard
Tra'Dayja Smith keys the offense, with her 47 assists leading the Big South and a 1.27 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks third.
•    Longwood has been lights out from the free throw line this season. The team's .776 percentage (149-192) from the charity stripe leadsBig South.
Kyla McMakin sits at the top of the leaderboard after shooting .875 (35-40), with
Anne-Hamilton LeRoy only a couple spots behind her in third (.852, 52-61).
Series History
•   The Camels and Lancers face off for the 25th time in program history, and their fifth time under coach Tillett.   Â
•   The Lancers took the 2019-20 first place Camels to the brink in their last meeting, dropping a narrow 81-76 loss in Buies Creek, N.C. Then freshmen pair
Kyla McMakin and
Anne-Hamilton LeRoy combined for 39 points in the game.Â
•   The Camels have been dominant on their home floor, holding a 12-0 record at home against Longwood.Â
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