Longwood stays on the road, heads to Charleston Southern

Opening tip

Longwood heads to Charleston Southern for its second consecutive road game.
The Lancers have now won five straight overall and three straight on the road. The team is playing its seventh match out of nine.
Longwood is 10-5 overall for the third time in five seasons under a head coach Griff Aldrich. The team had never gone 10-5 before Aldrich at the Division I level.
Longwood leads the Big South with four straight road wins. No one else has more than three.
The Lancer defense has held opponents to less than 30 points at halftime in three of the last four basketball games.
Longwood has three players averaging in double figures: Isaiah Wilkins (13.1), Leslie Nkereuwem (10.6) and Walyn Napper (10.3). DeShaun Wade (9.9 ppg) leads a group of four other players averaging at least seven points per game.
Wilkins was named to the watch list for the 2022-23 Lou Henson Award, given annually to the top player at the Division I level.

Last time

Longwood’s defense dominated and led the team to its 10th win of the campaign.
The Lancers held Campbell to .277 shooting and no Camels reached double figures.
The team opened the game by keeping Campbell scoreless for the first five minutes and without a basket for the first 11 minutes.
Longwood jumped out to a 23-3 lead and never trailed.
The lead never dipped back into single digits as Longwood’s defense helped hold off the Camels.
The Lancers committed 21 turnovers and grabbed a season-high 13 assists, holding Campbell to under 30 points in each half.
Isaiah Wilkins, Michael Christmas and Walyn Napper each had 11 points to lead Longwood.
Four players had at least two offensive rebounds for the Lancers.

By The Numbers

Longwood has four true road wins in the team’s first 15 games. The four road wins are the most in program history at the Division I level through 15 games.
The Lancers are also 10-5 for the third time in five seasons after never before achieving the feat at the Division I level.
Longwood has won five straight in a stretch that has seen seven of their nine games played on the road.
The Lancers have crashed the offensive glass in their last six games, grabbing 15.8 offensive rebounds per game.
Longwood’s defense has held opponents under 30 points at the half nine times this season and has done so three times through four halves in conference play.
The Lancers held Campbell to 13 shots and a .277 fielding percentage, both season bests, while grabbing a season-high 13 steals. The team also set a season high by making 21 turnovers.
Longwood’s defense also held Campbell scoreless for the first 11 minutes, the longest stretch this season. Additionally, no Camel scored in double figures.
Longwood’s bench has been a major strength, and the Lancers ranked 16th in the nation with 31.5 bench points per game. That’s the top mark in the Big South and more than four points per game more than any other team.
This season, Longwood is 5-1 when four players score at least 10 points, and the team is undefeated if five or more players accomplish the feat (4-0).
The Lancer offense ranks 45th in the nation in scoring at 79.6 points per game, the second-highest mark in the Big South.
The Lancers have also been lethal from behind the three-point line this season, ranking 37th in three-point percentage. Longwood is shooting .377 from three, which is also second in the Big South.
Longwood is ranked No. 111 in the NCAA Net Rankings and No. 123 in the Kenpom rankings, tops in the league.
The team is also the highest rated team in the Kenpom rankings, checking in at #142.
The Lancers are averaging 14.3 assists per game, which tops the Big South. The team has assisted on more than 50 percent of their baskets.
Five players average at least 1.5 assists per game.
Longwood’s 1.2. assist-to-turnover ratio leads the Big South

Worth quoting

“”This was a great effort from our guys. They played really well, especially on the defensive end. This is one of the most difficult preparations and I think the guys did a phenomenal job with what they were able to accomplish in such a short amount of time. We have experience, and it pays off. The thing we’ve been fighting for is urgency. Focus, aspiration, attitude, those are all key ingredients. We’re talking about rooting. If you put in focus, effort and attitude, it will give you the best chance to make it happen. I thought we had a real commitment and purpose to be able to do that.”
Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich on his team’s defense in Campbell

Series history

Longwood has won five in a row against Charleston Southern on the 8th. since January 2020.
Last season, the Lancers won a tight game 69-67 Zac Watson blocked CSU’s 3-point attempt.
DeShaun Wade had 19 points and Isaiah Wilkins added 15 while Watson had 10.

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