Game 12: Longwood (6-5, 0-0 Big South) at The Citadel (5-5, 0-0 SOCON)
Date & Time	Saturday, Dec. 17 | 1 p.m.
Location	Charleston, S.C. (McAlister Field House)
Game Notes	Longwood | The Citadel | Big South
Statistics	Longwood | The Citadel | Big South
Live Stats	Live Stats
Video/TV	ESPN+
Radio	WVHL 92.9 Kickin' Country FM
Social Media	@LongwoodLancers | @LongwoodMBB

The Opening Tip
•    Longwood heads to The Citadel to wrap up their longest road swing of the season.
•    The Lancers are playing their fifth straight game away from home, the team's longest road trip since 2019. In that season, Longwood played six straight away from home.
•    Longwood has one of the best three-point attacks by percentage in the nation. The Lancers are 15th in the nation, shooting at .401 percent, which is also the top mark in the Big South.
•    Four players are shooting at least .370 from three or better, with Jaylani Darden (.500), DeShaun Wade (.489) and Nate Lliteras (.472) all shooting above .400 percent.
•    Longwood's offense has four players averaging in double figures: Isaiah Wilkins (11.7), Leslie Nkereuwem (10.6), Walyn Napper (10.5) and DeShaun Wade (10.2). Four more players average at least six points per game.
•    DeShaun Wade has hit a team-best 23 threes and is shooting .500 from deep this season. He has improved his percentage each season at Longwood.

Last Time Out
•    Longwood gritted out a road win at St. Francis Brooklyn 63-57.
•    Isaiah Wilkins powered the Lancers to the win with 22 points, a season-high. He went 9-14 from the floor and 4-4 from three.
•    Longwood shot 8-13 from three in the game, which was the fifth time the team has shot better than 43 percent from three.
•    Down the stretch, a variety of players made critical plays to help seal the win.
•    DeShaun Wade hit a jumper to give Longwood a four-point lead with 47 seconds to play. Walyn Napper followed by hitting a pair of free throws in a one-and-one with 22 seconds left that preserved the four-point lead.
•    With 13 seconds left, Zac Watson blocked a driving layup to keep Longwood's lead at four.
•    Wade hit a pair of foul shots with five seconds left for the final margin.
 
By The Numbers
•    Longwood's three-point attack has been one of the most efficient in the nation this season. The Lancers are 15th in the nation in three-point percentage at .401. That mark also leads the Big South.
•    The Lancers have shot better than .430 from three-point range five times this season. Most recently, the team went 8-13 from three at St. Francis Brooklyn on Dec. 13.
•    Longwood has only had three games where the team shot less than 30 percent from three.
•    The Lancers average 14.4 assists per game, good for second in the Big South. The team has assisted on better than 50 percent of their baskets this season.
•    Longwood's bench has been a big part of that, with the Lancers ranking 17th in the nation with 32.4 bench points per game.
•    Longwood has been relentless when attacking the basket. The Lancers are averaging 35.1 points per game in the paint this season.
•    The team's high-water mark was 56 points in the paint against Pfeiffer. Longwood also scored 54 against Mary Baldwin. The team has had at least 40 points in the paint four times.
•    Longwood is second in the Big South in turnover margin at +2.6. The Lancers force 14.9 turnovers per game while averaging 12.3 themselves.
•    The Lancers also lead the league in assist/turnover ratio at 1.2. Longwood averages 14.4 assists per game to only 12.3 turnovers.
•    The team's 11.5 turnovers per game are 48th fewest in the nation and second-best in the Big South, trailing on Radford (11.3).
•    The Lancer defense forces 14.9 turnovers per game, which is second in the Big South.
•    Longwood's defense has held opponents to a .416 shooting percentage, good for third in the Big South. The team has surrendered 67.8 points per game.
 
Quotable

"I was really proud of the guys for gutting out a win when they weren't playing their best. That's the mark of a good team and a mature team, to have the character to fight through and still make the plays when you need to make them to come out on top. The guys did that tonight.
Zac had that great block at hte end. Walyn made two free throws. DeShaun hit a clutch jumper to put us up four. So many good plays at critical times was really the difference."
—Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich on how his team made winnings plays down the stretch at St. Francis Brooklyn to earn their second road win
 
Series History
•  This is the fourth meeting between the two teams.
•  The Citadel has won two straight meetings after Longwood won the first meeting between the two teams.
•    Both DeShaun Wade (14 points) and Leslie Nkereuwem (20 points) scored in double figures in the most recent meeting.
 
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