The Opening Tip
• Longwood returns to the court after winning their Big South opener for the first time in four seasons.
• The game against Radford marked Longwood's first against an NCAA Division I foe since Dec. 22 at Abilene Christian due to the schedule postponements created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• A tenth win would give Longwood its fourth straight season with at least that many, which would mark the first such time the team has done so since joining the Big South.
• The matchup with Gardner-Webb features the two top-rated teams in the Big South by the NCAA NET rankings. At No. 155, Gardner-Webb is just ahead of No. 163 Longwood.
• Longwood boasts one of the top offenses and defenses in the Big South, boasting the league's top scoring outfit and second-best defensive unit by points allowed per game.
Last Time Out
• Longwood snapped a 10-game losing streak to Radford with an 83-75 overtime win that saw the Lancer defense shut down Radford in the extra period.
• After a near-miraculous Radford run that forced overtime, the Lancer defense didn't give up a field goal until there were 34 seconds to play.
• Meanwhile,
Isaiah Wilkins ripped off eight straight points to help the Lancers build a 10-point lead in the extra period, and Longwood never looked back.
• Wilkins shook off a slow start to score 16 points on the night.
Justin Hill led all scorers with 24 points for the Lancers while also hitting three triples.
Leslie Nkereuwem added 11 points, and eight Lancers scored.
By The Numbers
• Longwood's offense has been one of the top outfits in the Big South sharing the basketball all season. The Lancers lead the league with 15.8 assists per game. Point guard
Justin Hill ranks fourth in the league in assists per game (3.9).
• Longwood has totaled more assists than turnovers in 10 of 14 games this season. The Lancers' 12.8 turnovers per game rank as the fourth-fewest in the Big South, and the team leads the Big South in turnover margin (+2.93).
• Longwood's bench is contributing 34.7 points per game, with 11.4 of those coming from
Leslie Nkereuwem. Nkereuwem leads the Big South in scoring off the bench and has shot at least 10 free throws in four of the past five games.
• The Lancers lead the Big South in scoring offense (80.5 points per game) and rank second in scoring defense (64.3 points allowed per game). Longwood is one of three Big South schools ranked among the league's top five in both categories. Longwood leads the conference in scoring margin with an average of +16.2 points per game.
•
DeShaun Wade has hit a three-pointer in 13 of 14 games this season.
Nate Lliteras has accomplished the feat in 12 of 13.
• Longwood has excelled on its home court under fourth-year head coach
Griff Aldrich, amassing a 34-17 record in Willett Hall during his tenure. That includes an 8-1 mark this season, an 8-5 record in 2020-21, an 8-6 record in 2019-20 and a 10-5 mark in 2018-19.
• Only five teams have have scored more than 65 points in regulation against Longwood. The Lancers have held five teams to 55 points or fewer.
• The Lancers' +9.5 rebounding margin ranks eighth nationally, while their 14.1 offensive rebounds per game rank 11th in the nation.
Quotable
"Coach Thomas whispered to me at halftime that the toughest team was going to win. We shared that with them at halftime, and then we shared it with them again at the beginning of overtime.Radford made three really key plays, and a lot of teams don't come back from that. Our guys were resolute and immediately came back from that. I thought our toughness showed right there."
— Longwood head coach
Griff Aldrich on how the team came out to start overtime at Radford
Series History
• Longwood and Gardner-Webb meet for the 25th time across multiple divisions, as the two began playing when Longwood was in the NCAA Division II ranks.
• Longwood has won the past three matchups, including on back-to-back days last season as part of the COVID-19 adjusted schedule.
• Prior to Longwood's 84-81 win in overtime on Feb. 1, 2020, Gardner-Webb had won three straight.
• Two of the past five matchups have gone to overtime, and four of the past six have been decided by three points or less.
#HorsePower
