THE OPENING TIP
• Longwood plays three games in three days at the Capital Thanksgiving Classic in Washington, D.C.
• The Lancers will take on Siena, Maine and American over the course of 72 hours at Bender Arena in the nation's capital.
• Siena ranks No. 164 in the Kenpom rankings, while Maine checks in at No. 316 and American is No. 284.
• It will be the first time the Lancers have played Siena in team history. Longwood last played Maine in 2016 and American in 2021.
• This is the second straight season the Lancers have played in an MTE away from Farmville after playing in the Paradise Jame in 2024.
•
Jacoi Hutchinson has been in double figures in all six games for Longwood this season and is the only Lancer to do so.
•
Elijah Tucker was a Preseason All-Big South First Team selection.
LAST TIME OUT
• Longwood fell 83-82 in double overtime to Maryland Eastern Shore at the Joan Perry Brock Center on Tuesday.
•
Jacoi Hutchinson had a career high 21 points on a career-best 10-10 performance at the free throw line to help Longwood rally back in both regulation and the first overtime.
• He was one of five Lancers in double figures, with
Johan Nziemi (17 points),
Elijah Tucker (12 points),
Alphonzo Billups III (10 points) and
Elijah Jones (10 points) all finishing in double digits.
• Justin Monden led UMES with 19 points, and Jaden Cooper chipped in 17.
• Longwood erased a 15-point UMES lead in the middle of the first half and took a three-point lead after halftime, but the two sides were even down the stretch.
• Ultimately, UMES's Dorion Staples hit a three in double OT that was the difference.
BY THE NUMBERS
• The four-game road swing is the longest stay away from home for the Lancers this season.
• Since
Ronnie Thomas joined the staff at Longwood, the Lancers have posted 30 true road wins in the previous five seasons.
• In that time frame, Longwood has won 100 games and a pair of Big South championships.
• This season, Longwood has won the turnover battle five times in six games and has posted a +4.7 turnover margin per game, good for third in the Big South and 44th nationally.
• The Lancers are forcing 17.8 turnovers per game, the second-best mark in the league and 16th nationally.
• Offensively, Longwood has attacked the basket relentlessly and is one of the best teams in the nation at getting to the free throw line. The team averages nearly 30 free throws attempts per game.
• The Lancers have outshot their opponents from the foul line in every game but one this season, and the team's 29.5 attempts per game leads the Big South and ranks 25th nationally.
• Longwood is shooting .791 from the free throw line as a team, the top mark in the Big South, and five players are shooting better than 80 percent from the charity stripe.
• Four players have attempted at least 20 free throws this season:
Jacoi Hutchinson (34),
Johan Nziemi (26),
Elijah Tucker (23), and
Elijah Jones (20).
• Huchsinson leads the Big South in made free throws with 31.
• The Lancers have also hammered the offensive glass, grabbing at least 15 offensive boards in a game three times this season while getting 14 once.
• The team's 13.5 offensive rebounds per game are second-best in the Big South.
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time Record vs. Siena 0-0
Under Coach Thomas 0-0
Current Streak N/A
First Meeting
Last Meeting
• Longwood and Siena have never met.
• The last time Longwood played a MAAC opponent was in 2018, when the team beat Fairfield 67-65 to open the Elgin Baylor Classic.
• In that contest, Sean Flood had 19 points, and JaShaun Smith chipped in 13 points while Shabooty Phillips added 11.
All-Time Record vs. Maine 0-2
Under Coach Thomas 0-0
Current Streak L 2
First Meeting L 92-82 on 11/25/2015
Last Meeting L 80-58 on 11/13/2016
• Longwood and Maine square off for the third time in team history, although this is the first neutral site meeting between the two teams.
• Maine won the two prior matchups, a home-and-home series in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons.
• Maine hosted the first game, in 2015, and won 92-82 before coming to Farmville in 2016.
All-Time Record vs. American 2-1
Under Coach Thomas 0-0
Current Streak W 2
First Meeting L 60-49 on 12/4/2006
Last Meeting W 82-42 on 11/19/2021
• Longwood and American meet for the fourth time in team history.
• The Lancers won the last meeting 82-42 behind a suffocating defensive performance that saw them hold American to eight made shots in the first half.
• The two sides split an in-season home-and-home in December of 2006, with both sides winning on their home floors.
STATS COMPARISON
LWU SU UM AU
2025-26 Record 3-3 4-2 0-6 3-3
Conference 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
Points 79.3 70.8 58.2 87.3
Opp. Points 77.5 65.2 68.3 76
Scoring Margin +1.8 +5.7 -10.2 +11.3
Rebounds 37.2 33.5 29.5 37.5
Opp. Rebounds 36.5 28.8 38.8 36.3
Off. Rebounds 13.5 12.3 7.5 11.5
Opp. Off. Rebounds 11.8 8.8 13 10.5
Rebounding Margin +0.7 +4.7 -9.3 -1.2
Field Goal Pct. .424 .463 .412 .481
Opp. Field Goal Pct .463 .472 .424 .420
3-Point Pct. .268 .253 .283 .328
Opp. 3-Point Pct. .369 .326 .233 .324
3-Point FGs 5 3.5 5.3 9.8
Opp. 3-Point FGs 10.3 5.2 4.5 7.3
Free Throw Pct. .791 .779 .652 .709
Opp. Free Throw Pct. .646 .683 .660 .784
Free Throws Made 23.3 14.7 12.2 13.8
Opp. Free Throws Made 12.2 9.3 16.2 19.3
Assists 12.3 13.5 11 16.8
Turnovers 13.2 10.8 14.7 13.3
Turnovers Forced 17.8 13.5 12.7 15.2
Turnover Margin +4.7 +2.7 -2 +1.8
Assist/Turnover Ratio 0.9 1.2 0.8 1.3
Steals 11.2 8 7.5 9.2
Blocked Shots 2.5 1.8 4 2
#GoWood #HorsePower
