THE OPENING TIP
• Longwood opens up a two-game homestand this week by hosting UNC Asheville on national tv on ESPNU.
• The game will be Healthcare Worker Appreciation Night at the Joan Perry Brock Center, sponsored by Centra Southside Community Hospital.
• It will be $2 beer night as well at the Joan Perry Brock Center, and fans are encouraged to wear white for the Whiteout.
• In the Big South, the Lancers are half a game back of fourth, behind both Presbyterian and UNC Asheville and one back of third in third, with five games to play.
• The two-game homestand is the second of league play for the Lancers, followed by the team's third two-game road swing in Big South action.
• UNC Asheville won the first meeting between the two teams in Asheville 72-61 earlier.
• Four Lancers average double figures in scoring, with no player averaging more than 12.2 points.
•
Elijah Tucker leads the team at 12.2 points per game, with
Jacoi Hutchinson (11.8),
Johan Nziemi (11.1) and
Redd Thompson Jr. (10.3) in double figures.
LAST TIME OUT
• A gritty Longwood side battled all game long at Winthrop, but the home side edged the Lancers 79-74 in a game that went down to the wire.
• The two teams shot a combined 75 free throws in a physical contest that saw both defenses hold their counterparts under 40 percent shooting from the floor.
•
Johan Nziemi led Longwood with 13 points, and
Jacoi Hutchinson added 11 points. Six other Lancers finished with seven or eight points.
• Four scored in double figures for Winthrop, with Tommy Kamarad leading the way with 15 points.
• Kody Clouet had 14 points, including a separating triple with less than a minute to go to give Winthrop the lead for good.
• That came after the Lancers had tied the game at 71 apiece on an
Elijah Tucker free throw.
• The two sides traded the lead back and forth throughout the second half, and the lead changed 14 times in the game.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Longwood is 9-3 at the Joan Perry Brock Center this season, giving the team five straight seasons with at least nine home wins.
• A win on Thursday would give the team 10 wins for five straight seasons, which was last done from 1985-86 through 1989-90.
• With
Ronnie Thomas on staff at Longwood, the Lancers are 70-19 at home in Farmville.
• Longwood is 12-1 when leading at the half this season, with the lone loss coming at Wake Forest.
• The Lancers have hosted an ESPNU game in three straight seasons, and it is the fourth time in five years Longwood has hosted ESPN in Farmville.
• Longwood ranks first in the Big South in free throw percentage, shooting 74 percent as a team.
•
Jacoi Hutchinson and
Redd Thompson Jr. lead the team in percentage, shooting better than 85 percent from the foul line.
•
Johan Nziemi, meanwhile, leads the team in free throw attempts with 126. He has shot at least eight free throws in a game eight times.
•
Elijah Tucker is the second Lancer to shoot at least 100 free throws on the season.
• Longwood is 8-3 when shooting more free throws than its opponent this season, and the Lancers have shot at least 30 free throws in a game eight times.
• The Lancers have held their opponent to 70 points or less five times in league play, and the team is 4-1 in such games.
• Six times this season, Longwood has held its opponent to 25 points or less in the opening 20 minutes.
• Longwood has played 10 games this season decided by five points or less, with two games going to overtime. The Lancers are 4-6 in such games and 1-1 in OT.
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time Record vs. UNC Asheville 8-20
Under Coach Thomas 0-1
Current Streak L 2
First Meeting L 65-62 on 12/9/1985
Last Meeting L 72-61 on 1/7/2026
• UNC Asheville won the first meeting between the two teams down in Asheville on January 7.
• Longwood had two players score in double figures in the game, with
Emanuel Richards leading the team with 14 points while
Jaylen Benard added 10.
• Kameron Taylor led UNC Asheville with 24 points and was one of four players in double figures for the Bulldogs.
STATS COMPARISON
LWU UNCA
2025-26 Record 13-13 11-13
Conference 5-6 5-5
Points 76.4 74.3
Opp. Points 72.7 72.3
Scoring Margin +3.7 +2
Rebounds 36.9 35
Opp. Rebounds 31.7 32.9
Off. Rebounds 11.7 10.3
Opp. Off. Rebounds 9.6 10.3
Rebounding Margin +5.2 +2.2
Field Goal Pct. .466 .462
Opp. Field Goal Pct .444 .442
3-Point Pct. .303 .360
Opp. 3-Point Pct. .317 .323
3-Point FGs 5.9 7.2
Opp. 3-Point FGs 7.8 6.7
Free Throw Pct. .742 .700
Opp. Free Throw Pct. .706 .688
Free Throws Made 17 15.6
Opp. Free Throws Made 15.2 14.7
Assists 12.8 11.4
Turnovers 14.2 12.5
Turnovers Forced 14.8 11.1
Turnover Margin +0.6 -1.4
Assist/Turnover Ratio 0.9 0.9
Steals 8.9 5.6
Blocked Shots 2.5 3.3
#GoWood #HorsePower