Lancers Gear Up to Conclude Non-League Adventure at UNCW

WILMINGTON, N.C. — Having triumphed in four of their last five games, the Longwood women’s basketball team concludes non-conference action at UNCW in a 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon matchup at Task Coliseum.

STORYLINES

▪ The Lancers and Seahawks have faced off four times in women’s basketball, with UNCW maintaining a 3-1 lead in the all-time series, including a 2-0 record in Wilmington. Longwood won the most recent clash, edging out a 59-58 victory on Nov. 13, 2019, in Farmville, Va.

▪ In December’s five encounters, three players are posting double-digit scoring averages. They are guards Amor Harris (14.2 points per game), Mariah Wilson (13.6), and forward Otaifo Esenabhalu (10). Collectively, Longwood is surpassing their opponents by an average of 13.2 points per game while generating 30 turnovers per game, boasting a plus-11.2 turnover margin.

▪ A victory on Sunday would elevate Longwood’s record to 9-5 for the season, equaling the Lancers’ total wins from the previous two seasons. LU finished 9-21 overall in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns. With a 4-1 record in December, a win would also mark at least five victories in a single month for the first time since the 2022 Big South championship team concluded January with a 7-2 record, finishing at 22-12.

▪ Longwood is averaging 26.77 turnovers forced per game this season, ranking fourth in the NCAA as of games played through Dec. 22. The Lancers have also accumulated the highest total turnover count (348) in the nation. Additionally, Longwood has caused more turnovers than their opponents in 11 of 13 games this season, holding an 8-3 record in those matches. Longwood leads the Big South in turnover margin at plus-7.85, placing 19th in Division I.

SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS

UNCW holds a 6-6 record this season and is currently on a three-game losing streak, having lost to West Georgia at home on Dec. 5, 70-66, at Coastal Carolina on Dec. 18, 96-64, and at East Carolina on Dec. 21, 71-56.

Taylor Henderson is the leading scorer for the Seahawks, averaging 12.3 points per game with 21 steals, while Ali Zelaya tops the rebounding charts at 9.3 boards per game.

Under the leadership of head coach Nicole Woods, UNCW was projected to finish 11th in the CAA.

LAST TIME OUT

Longwood recorded a shooting percentage of 52.1 from the field during the first half en route to a commanding 105-38 victory over Webber International at the Sabbagh Athletic Center on Dec. 18.

The Lancers made 24 of 46 attempts from the floor in the first 20 minutes and surpassed the 100-point mark for the second time this season, securing their fourth win in five contests. With this win, Longwood, boasting an 8-5 record, matched their best 13-game start since the 2003-04 season.

Olivia Bowes scored a game-high and personal best of 20 points, including 14 during the third quarter. Mariah Wilson contributed 16 points along with a career-best eight steals, while both Amor Harris and Lili Booker added 12 points each. Longwood managed to achieve 25 steals, their highest of the season. Bowes, Wilson, and Otaifo Esenabhalu each grabbed a game-high tying nine rebounds.

REVISITING THE DUNCAN CLASSIC

Longwood secured three victories across three days from Dec. 6-8 in the Shirley Duncan Classic, marking the Lancers’ first in-season home tournament since 2010-11. Amor Harris achieved a career-high 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting off the bench, leading the Lancers to a 67-60 triumph over South Carolina State in the opener.

Harris contributed a team-high 12 points on Saturday as Longwood overcame a 10-point deficit in the third quarter to defeat William & Mary for the first time since 2013, 53-44.

Longwood continued their success with an 81-54 win against McNeese on Sunday, where Kiki McIntyre delivered 16 points, matching her career-high with nine steals along with seven assists.

Harris received MVP honors, and McIntyre along with sophomore forward Otaifo Esenabhalu – who recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds against the Cowgirls – were selected for the all-tournament team.

As a whole, the Lancers forced 31.7 turnovers and accrued 18.3 steals per game during the tournament.

HARRIS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Amor Harris was recognized as the Big South Player of the Week on Dec. 10 after earning MVP honors at the Shirley Duncan Classic. She averaged 17 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Her 24 field goals and 51 points in the tournament were the second and tenth most, respectively, within the NCAA for the week ending Dec. 9.

Harris is the second LU player this season to receive weekly accolades, joining Frances Ulysse, who was named Co-Big South Player of the Week on Nov. 18.

IF YOU BEAT ‘EM, JOIN ‘EM

Mariah Wilson transferred to Longwood after spending her first three seasons and 60 career games at Towson from 2021-24. Wilson averaged 1.5 points and 0.6 rebounds per game in 5.8 minutes for the Tigers.

During head coach Erika Lang-Montgomery‘s visit to Towson, Wilson played three minutes in an 83-72 victory for the Tigers.

Wilson attained a career-high 18 points against Florida on Dec. 15, also recording a personal best of eight steals against Webber International on Dec. 18.

LUCKY 7

The Lancers will compete in half of their 14 non-conference matchups within the familiar surroundings of the Joan Perry Brock Center this season. This contrasts sharply with 2023-24, where Longwood faced seven straight non-league outings away from Farmville, from Nov. 15 at James Madison to Dec. 17 at William & Mary, traveling approximately 4,534 miles during that time.

FIVE IN DOUBLE FIGURES

In the Lancers’ 80-66 victory at Queens on Nov. 18, five different athletes scored in double figures. This signified the first occurrence since Feb. 15, 2023, in a 97-64 home triumph over USC Upstate.

LANCERS SEVENTH IN BIG SOUTH POLL

Longwood was projected to finish seventh in the 2024-25 Big South preseason rankings. The Lancers accumulated 30 points in the poll, surpassing Presbyterian (23 points) and UNC Asheville (17).

High Point received the top spot with five first-place votes and a total of 76 points, followed by Radford at 57 points with one first-place vote and Charleston Southern at 55 points. Winthrop was in fourth, Gardner-Webb in sixth, and the Blue Hose were in eighth, receiving the remaining first-place votes.

LET’S PLAY TWO!

Longwood freshman forward Montgomery Bedford, a 6-foot-2 talent from Baltimore, Md., and a product of Baltimore City College, was initially recruited to Farmville to compete in women’s lacrosse for the Lancers, but walked onto the women’s basketball team this fall. Bedford is recognized as one of only four dual-sport student-athletes in Division I women’s basketball this season.

The others include Santa Clara forward Lauren Glover, who also competes for the Broncos’ women’s volleyball team; Cincinnati guard Daylee Dunn, a member of the Bearcats’ track and field team; and Cal State Fullerton guard/forward Samantha Schuler, who is also part of the Titans’ track and field squad.

Bedford stands as the first two-sport student-athlete

to participate in women’s basketball at Longwood since Mallory Odell achieved it from 2017-21, also competing for the softball team.

MS. 1,000

Longwood graduate student point guard Kiki McInytre is merely seven points shy of reaching 1,000 for her career. The Boston native averaged 6.6 points per game last season, playing in all 30 games. She recorded an average of 10.9 points per game across 61 games at NCAA Division II St Leo, amassing 663 points from 2020-23.

FIRST TO 10 TRIUMPH

The Longwood women’s and men’s basketball teams have achieved a combined 10-4 record to commence the season. Longwood was the first among 13 institutions in Virginia that support both sports to hit double-figure wins.

Norfolk State also began with a 10-4 mark, with the Spartans’ women’s squad securing a 57-54 victory at the SEC’s Missouri on Nov. 10.

The Lancers, NSU, and George Mason currently boast 19 wins each to lead the state.

STUDENT-ATHLETES

At least 10 Longwood women’s basketball student-athletes were honored on the 2023-24 Big South Presidential Honor Roll in June. To be listed, student-athletes need to maintain a minimum of a 3.0 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) throughout the academic year.

The athletes who accomplished this were Lainey Bone, Malea Brown, Stephanie Davis, Otaifo Esenabhalu, Amor Harris, Kiki McIntyre, Nalani Simmons, Janay Turner, Frances Ulysse, and Bailey Williams.

Moreover, the Lancers achieved their highest semester team GPA in history at 3.42 in the spring, with McIntyre, Simmons, and Turner earning perfect 4.0 GPAs for that term.

STUDENT-ATHLETES, PART II

Kiki McIntyre and Bailey Williams were selected for the 2023-24 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team®. To qualify, student-athletes must boast a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 and be a starter or key contributor to their squad.

THREE’S A CROWD

The Lancers converted 9-of-27 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc against Hood on Nov. 10. This marked the second instance this season and the fourth during head coach Erika Lang-Montgomery’s tenure at Longwood that the Lancers made that many from long range.

The Lancers also went 9-for-20 (45 percent) at Norfolk State on Nov. 7.

Longwood drained 10 from downtown in an 88-59 homecoming victory versus Chowan on Nov. 12, 2023, and scored nine more in a 77-64 defeat at Presbyterian on Feb. 8, 2023.

The Lancers hold a 10-13 record under Lang-Montgomery when they hit at least five 3-pointers in a match.

REBOUNDING MACHINE

Sophomore Otaifo Esenabhalu currently ranks 25th in the NCAA in total rebounds with 117, 28th in offensive rebounds per game with 4.1, and 62nd in rebounds per game at 9.0. Esenabhalu tops the Big South in all three metrics.

Additionally, she has registered a league-leading seven double-figure rebounding performances, including four in the past seven contests.

BAND OF THIEVES

Longwood achieved a season-high of 25 steals in their 105-38 triumph over Webber International on Dec. 18. The Lancers have reached at least 15 steals in a game 13 times under Erika Lang-Montgomery. The Lancers hold an 11-2 record in those matches. Longwood is averaging 15.3 steals per game this season, currently ranking second in the NCAA.

Kiki McInytre stands fourth in the nation for total steals with 44, Mariah Wilson is ranked second in the Big South and seventh nationally with 42 steals, while Malea Brown is third in the conference and tied for 31st in the nation with 32 steals.

Last season, Longwood led the Big South and finished 21st nationally in steals per game with 10.7. McIntyre topped the league at 2.77 per game, placing 20th in the NCAA, while she accumulated 83 total steals, which also led the league and ranked 29th in the country.

SPREADING THE LOVE

In 11 of the first 13 games this season, a minimum of eight players contributed to the scoring tally.

In the Nov. 10 102-21 homecoming win over Hood, 12 of the 13 players on the roster scored.

BENCH PRODUCTION

Longwood outscored their opponents’ bench in 13 games during the 2023-24 season, accomplishing this in 11 of the 13 games played thus far.

The Lancers recorded an emphatic 62-8 advantage from their reserves – the largest margin of the season – as Longwood crushed Webber International, 105-38 on Dec. 18.

Longwood is averaging 35.1 bench points per game in 2024-25, which ranks ninth in NCAA Division I and second in the Big South.

CONSECUTIVE DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Otaifo Esenabhalu achieved back-to-back double-doubles in the victories over Hood on Nov. 10 and at American on Nov. 13.

She recorded 12 points and 13 rebounds against the Blazers, along with game highs of 10 points and 13 boards against the Eagles. These were the first consecutive double-doubles for a Longwood player since Akila Smith executed the feat on two different occasions during the Lancers’ Big South championship season of 2021-22. Smith accomplished this last at North Carolina A&T (Dec. 29, 2021) and Presbyterian (Jan. 1, 2022), both Longwood triumphs.

Esenabhalu secured her third double-double of the season, with 12 points and 12 boards off the bench versus Navy on Nov. 23, and a fourth with 11 points and 11 rebounds against McNeese on Dec. 8. She now has six in her career and ranks 45th in the NCAA in this category this season.

ULYSSE NAMED BIG SOUTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Sophomore forward Frances Ulysse was honored as Big South Co-Player of the Week on Nov. 18. She averaged 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds over a 1-1 week that included Longwood’s first victory over American since the 2006-07 season.

EQUALING BEST D-I START

The Lancers won three of their initial four games for only the third time in their Division I history.

Longwood succeeded in its first three matches of the 2006-07 season, overcoming American, Norfolk State, and North Florida, before losing to William & Mary that year.

In 2013-14, the Lancers fell in the opener at Seton Hall, before defeating William & Mary, Utah Valley, and Xavier.

CLAIMING THE FIRST VICTORY

The Lancers’ season-opening 81-70 victory against Lincoln (Pa.) on Nov. 4 at the Joan Perry Brock Center marked Longwood’s first win to commence a season since defeating Campbell, 71-48, in the Lancer Classic held at Willett Hall on Nov. 12, 2010.