Longwood University Athletics

Game 9: Longwood (3-5, 0-0 Big South) at Drexel (6-2, 0-0 CAA)
Date & Time	Saturday, December 11, 2021 | 2 p.m.
Location	Philadelphia, Pa. (Daskalakis Athletic Center)
Game Notes	Longwood | Drexel | Big South
Statistics	Longwood | Drexel | Big South
Live Stats	Drexel Live Stats
Video/TV	FloHoops
Social Media	@LongwoodLancers | @LongwoodWBB

The Opening Tip:

• Saturdays matchup between the Lancers and Dragons will conclude Longwood's six game road stretch following tough two losses in Iowa.  
• In Iowa, Longwood had highs and lows, scoring a season-high in points (82) at Drake and a season-low (56) at #14 Iowa State.
• Akila Smith followed her triple-double against Sam Houston with a double-double against Drake University. She scored a game-high 24 against the Bulldogs.
• Kennedy Calhoun continued to build on a strong start to her true freshman season, with the guard scoring a season-best nine points to go with three assists and three steals in Longwood's match up against #14 Iowa State.
• Longwood finished a program-best third in the Big South behind 12 conference wins, also a program record since joining the league. The Lancers have three non-conference games left before its 18-game conference slate.

By the Numbers:

• Following two losses in Iowa, Longwood leads the Big South and is ranked first in blocked shots per game (5.1) and with steals (79).
• Longwood was able to put up a season high of 82 points against Drake University, with Akila Smith collecting a game-high of 24 points and Kyla McMakin adding 17.
• Kyla McMakin, a two-time All-Big South First Team selection over her first two seasons at Longwood, ranks first in the Big South in made field goals and total points with 151. Akila Smith is second in points with 127.
• McMakin also became the first Lancer to lead the Big South in scoring in back-to-back seasons. She averaged 18.8 points per game as a freshman and 17.9 per game as a sophomore, both the top mark in the conference. Currently, McMakin is averaging 18.9 ppg after eight games, ranking second in the league. 
• Akila Smith has been one of the top shot blockers in the country this season. She ranks first in the Big South and fifth nationally in both blocks and blocks per game. She has 27 blocks on the season, good for 3.8 per game, and she is only nine shy of the national blocks leader.
• Smith tallied her second career triple double, and third triple double in team history, with a 20-point, 11-rebound, and 10-block effort at Sam Houston. Smith followed it up with a double-double against Drake, posting 24 points and 10 rebounds.
• Akila Smith and Kyla McMakin were both selected to the All-Big South Preseason First Team, the first time Longwood has had two players selected to the conference preseason first team.
• Point guard Tra'Dayja Smith has been one of the top passers in the Big South, and she leads the conference in assists while ranking 11th in the nation in assists per game with 6.4…and 10th nationally, making 92.6% of her free throws.

Quotes:

"If you want to win a Big South Championship you have to win three in a row, and on the road. So, I think this has definitely been a challenge for us, but I don't know if there is any better preparation for us. We have had to incorporate a lot of things that I think will help us reach the goals we want to get to." -Head Coach Rebecca Tillett 

"We wanted to go out there and play our game. We focused our game on the small victories to give ourselves a solid chance. I think our response was great, and I think it'll help us a lot when we reach conference play." - Freshman Kennedy Calhoun