The Opening Tip
• Longwood is off to its best start since transitioning to the Division I level, with a 12-5 record that includes a 4-0 start to conference play.
• The Lancers are one of two unbeaten teams in Big South play, with Winthrop the other.
• The 4-0 start to Big South play marks a program best since joining the league. It also marks the third straight season the team has had a four game winning streak in conference play.
• 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.
• The Lancers are in the midst of a busy stretch that will see the team play five games in 10 days. The stretch started with Campbell on Wednesday, Jan. 19 and will end when Longwood hosts Winthrop on Saturday, Jan. 29.
Last Time Out
• Longwood used a last minute rally to surge past Presbyterian and keep their perfect conference record intact, downing the Blue Hose 71-70.
•
Justin Hill shook free and hit a layup while being fouled with 3.7 seconds left. His layup tied the game at 70, and he hit the free throw to give Longwood the lead.
• Hill and
DeShaun Wade keyed an 11-3 run in the final 91 seconds that saw Longwood erase 67-60 Presbyterian lead. The two combined for 10 of the team's 11 points in the run.
• Hill led the Lancers with 23 points, and Wade added 17.
• Rayshon Harrison of Presbyterian led all scorers with 29 points, but Longwood's defense held Presbyterian without a made field goal over the final four minutes of the second half.
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 15.1 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 12 of 17 games this season. The Lancers' 12.6 turnovers per game rank as the third-fewest in the Big South, and the team leads the Big South in turnover margin (+2.8).
• Longwood's bench is contributing 32.2 points per game, with 10.6 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 eight games.
• The Lancers lead the Big South in scoring offense (78.6 points per game) and rank second in scoring defense (64.4 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 +14.2 points per game.
•
DeShaun Wade has hit a three-pointer in 15 of 17 games this season.
Nate Lliteras has accomplished the feat in 14 of 16.
• Longwood has excelled on its home court under fourth-year head coach
Griff Aldrich, amassing a 36-17 record in Willett Hall during his tenure. That includes a 10-1 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 six teams have scored more than 65 points  against Longwood. The Lancers have held five teams to 55 points or fewer.
• The Lancers' +7.8 rebounding margin ranks 11th nationally, while their 13.2 offensive rebounds per game are tied for first in the league.
Quotable
"We got frustrated on the offensive end in the first half, and that led us to being a little clumsy on the defensive end. We cleaned that up in the second half, and our defense led to our offense as opposed to the other way around. That's who you've got to be. We talked about that at halftime. If you turn it over, mess up, you have to go and get the defensive • 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 15.1 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 12 of 17 games this season. The Lancers' 12.6 turnovers per game rank as the third-fewest in the Big South, and the team leads the Big South in turnover margin (+2.8).
• Longwood's bench is contributing 32.2 points per game, with 10.6 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 eight games.
• The Lancers lead the Big South in scoring offense (78.6 points per game) and rank second in scoring defense (64.4 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 +14.2 points per game.
•
DeShaun Wade has hit a three-pointer in 15 of 17 games this season.
Nate Lliteras has accomplished the feat in 14 of 16.
• Longwood has excelled on its home court under fourth-year head coach
Griff Aldrich, amassing a 36-17 record in Willett Hall during his tenure. That includes a 10-1 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 six teams have scored more than 65 points  against Longwood. The Lancers have held five teams to 55 points or fewer.
• The Lancers' +7.8 rebounding margin ranks 11th nationally, while their 13.2 offensive rebounds per game are tied for first in the league.
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Quotables
"
My encouragement to them is that they've got something special going. But as I encouraged them, they need to respect it. They're doing something that's never been done at Longwood: the best start in conference history, the best start in the Division I era. But they have to respect it. It is not working, it is fighting to maintain the urgency. That's not human nature. It's fighting to maintain the standard."
— Longwood head coach
Griff Aldrich after the team's comeback at Presbyterian
Series History
• The two teams have split their past four meetings, with three of the four taking place in Farmville while the other was in the second round of the Big South tournament in 2019-20.
• In the past three seasons, the two teams have played eight times, including three times in 2018-19 and three again in 2019-20.
• Last season, Longwood won the opening matchup between the two teams 83-73 before Hampton won the rematch 74-68 on the final day of the regular season.
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