12.26.2011

FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University competed in two men's basketball games during the week before Christmas, falling 99-71 on the road at Vanderbilt University of the Southeastern Conference on December 19 at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tennessee before dropping an 87-61 decision at home to visiting Seton Hall University of the BIG EAST Conference on Dec. 23 at Willett Hall in Farmville.  The Lancers of ninth-year head coach Mike Gillian return to action this week at the Dr. Pepper Classic, Dec. 29-30, hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Longwood will open against host Chattanooga of the Southern Conference (SoCon) on Thursday, Dec. 29, at 7 p.m., before facing either in-state school Hampton University of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) or Utah Valley University of the Great West Conference (Great West) on Friday, Dec. 30, at either 4:30 p.m. or 7 p.m.

Looking Back At Vanderbilt
Longwood dropped a 99-71 decision on the road at Vanderbilt (8-4) while led by senior center Antwan Carter|St. Petersburg, Fla. (St. Petersburg) and sophomore transfer guard Tristan Carey|Colonial Beach (La Salle), each with 20 points, and Carter added a game-high 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double this season.  Senior guard Jeremiah Bowman|Washington, D.C. (Harcum JC) had 11 points and five assists.  LU shot 44% (26-59) from the field, including 50% (10-20) on three-point field goals, and 90% (9-10) at the free throw line.  Jeffery Taylor led the Commodores with his game-high 29 points while near perfect shooting (12-14 FG, 2-2 3FG, 3-5 FT).  VU shot 51% (36-71) from the field, including 41% (12-29) on three-pointers, and 71% (15-21) at the line.

Looking Back At Seton Hall
Longwood took an early 17-6 lead just 4:47 into the contest before talented Seton Hall (11-1) responded well and led 45-33 at halftime en route to its eighth-straight win, 87-61.  Antwan Carter led the Lancers with 20 points and nine rebounds, and senior forward Jan van der Kooij|Tiendeveen, The Netherlands (Roelof van Echten) contributed a season-high 19 points along with seven rebounds.  LU shot 43% (23-54) from the field, including 41% (9-22) on three-point field goals, and 55% (6-11) at the free throw line.  The Pirates were led by Jordan Theodore with a career-high and game-high 26 points, and Fuquan Edwin with 20 points to tie his career-high. SHU shot 57% (36-63) from the field, including 36% (8-22) on three-pointers, and 50% (7-14) at the line.  The game was televised live on FOX College Sports (FCS Atlantic) with production by the SPORTSfever Television Network of Marietta, Pennsylvania, and drew a supportive and much-appreciated local crowd of 773 just two days before Christmas.

Quoting Head Coach Mike Gillian
“When the schedule is put together every year, we schedule some high-profile opponents with the thought that a few of them will end up making a deep run into March in the NCAA Tournament. We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams in college basketball.  As it turns out, this year the teams we have played that fit into the high-profile category all look like they are heading toward post-season success. BYU (10-3) and Nevada (9-3) are right at the top of their leagues, UVA is 10-1 and playing great basketball.  Vanderbilt and Seton Hall are even a notch above those teams and there is no doubt they will be competing at the top tier of the SEC and Big East, respectively, at year's end.  We have competed very well against all of these programs and now have to use the experiences to help us prepare for the part of the schedule where we are playing competitive equals night-in and night-out.

“The first part of that comes in a true tournament format down at Chattanooga after a few days off for Christmas.  I'm sure all four teams coming to the tournament will be looking forward to the opportunities it presents and will be ready to play.”

Looking At Longwood | Season Stats | PDF
Longwood is 4-8 overall, including an uncharacteristic 3-3 at home while 0-4 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site contests.  Antwan Carter (17.1 points, 9.0 rebounds), Jeremiah Bowman (13.3 points, 5.6 assists), and Tristan Carey (11.8 points) continue to lead the Lancers this season. They have been joined in the lineup by senior guard Martiz Washington|Hopewell (Christchurch) (9.0 points, 25 3FGs) and Jan van der Kooij (7.3 points).  LU averages 74.3 points while shooting 44% from the field, including 37% on three-point field goals (9.0), and 63% at the line -- allowing opponents 84.3 points.  The Lancers are now 35-12 (.745) at home in Willett Hall during the past three-plus seasons.

Looking At Chattanooga
Chattanooga of the SoCon is coached by John Shulman who is in his eighth year with the program, compiling a record of 125-114, including 4-8 this season following a 95-41 home win past Hiwassee (12.21).  Senior guard Ricky Taylor (12.8 points, 25 3FGs) and senior forward Omar Wattad (11.9 points, 31 3FGs) have led the Mocs, joined by redshirt-junior forward Drazen Ziovaric (9.7 points, 6.5 rebounds), redshirt-senior guard Keegan Bell (7.6 points, 6.9 assists), and redshirt-junior guard Dontay Hampton (6.4 points).  UTC averages 71.4 points while shooting 42% from the field, including 38% on three-point field goals (9.1), and 67% at the line -- allowing opponents 65.8 points. The two schools are meeting for the second time in the sport as Chattanooga took a 74-70 win in Texas during the 2009 South Padre Island Invitational (11.28.09).

Looking At Hampton
Hampton of the MEAC is coached by Edward Joyner, Jr. who is in his third year with the program, compiling a record of 32-45, including 4-8 this season following a 64-54 road loss at Robert Morris (12.20).  Senior guard Darrion Pellum (17.6 points, 26 3FGs) and sophomore center David Bruce (11.9 points, 8.9 rebounds) have led the Pirates, joined by junior guard Jasper Williams (7.8 points, 22 3FGs), senior guard Mike Tuitt (7.1 points, 4.7 assists), and senior forward Orin O'Bryant (2.3 points).  HU averages 62.3 points while shooting 40% from the field, including 30% on three-point field goals (5.9), and 64% at the line -- allowing opponents 65.5 points.  The two schools would be meeting for the fourth time in the sport as Hampton leads the series at 2-1, including a most recent 95-81 home win in Hampton (3.1.10).

Looking At Utah Valley
Utah Valley of the Great West is coached by Dick Hunsaker who is in his 10th year with the program, compiling a record of 173-105, including 6-8 this season following a 65-52 road loss at Montana (12.22).  Senior guard Isiah Williams (14.5 points, 33 3FGs) and senior forward Geddes Robinson (10.9 points, 10.1 rebounds) have led the Wolverines, joined by sophomore center Ben Aird (8.7 points, 6.4 rebounds), sophomore guard Holton Hunsaker (7.2 points, 2.4 assists), and senior forward Keith Thompson (6.6 points).  UVU averages 66.1 points while shooting 42% from the field, including 28% on three-point field goals (4.8), and 66% at the line -- allowing opponents 65.3 points.  The two schools would be meeting for the sixth time in the sport as Utah Valley leads the series at 5-0, including a most recent 80-52 home win in Utah (1.15.07).

Veteran Southpaw Leading The Way
Antwan Carter, the fourth-year team member and left-handed post player, continues to lead Longwood with his averages of 17.1 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 55% (85-155) from the field, including 44% (10-23) on three-point field goals, and 63% (25-40) at the free throw line -- adding 18 assists, 11 blocks, and eight steals.  He is the team leader in points (205), scoring average, field goals, field goal attempts, field goal percentage, rebounds (108), rebound average, offensive rebounds (39-3.3), defensive rebounds (69-5.8), blocks, minutes (412-34.3), and dunks (1).  Carter has 12 consecutive double-figure scoring games this season, 23-straight to last season, and four double-doubles (31 for his career).

In The Record Book
Antwan Carter continues to climb the career record book at Longwood, ranking fifth in scoring (1,490), second in rebounds (831), fourth in field goals (621), sixth in field goal percentage (.551, 621-1127) and in field goal attempts (1127), and seventh in blocks (72).

All-Tournament Team Honors
Antwan Carter was named to the Chicago Invitational Challenge All-Tournament Team for his four-game efforts during the exempt event played November 18-26.  Carter averaged 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 56% (29-52) from the field with two three-pointers, and 71 % (5-7) at the free throw line along with seven assists, five blocks, and two steals against BYU (11.18), Nevada (11.22), Prairie View A&M (11.25), and UMKC (11.26).

On A Dime
Jeremiah Bowman has been impressive this season with averages of 13.3 points and 5.6 assists while shooting 49% (56-114) from the field, including 33% (5-15) on three-point field goals, and 69% (43-62) at the free throw line, adding 20 steals.  He has dished out 53 assists in his last eight games (6.6), including two games of 10 or more and another of nine.  Twice this season, he has played all 40 minutes, including against Canisius (11.15) while posting a career-high 27 points (11-15 FG, 1-2 3FG, 4-6 FT), and at Nevada (11.22) while posting his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 11 assists.  Bowman is the team leader in free throws, free throw attempts, assists (67), and steals.  He has nine double-figure scoring games and two double-doubles.

This Guy Knows How To Make A Debut
First-year team member Tristan Carey led Longwood in scoring with 17 points off the bench against Navy (11.11) in his first game for the Lancers, adding seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.  He followed that with 19 points, six rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and one assist at Nevada (11.22) while making his first start for Longwood.  Carey did it once again with 19 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals against South Carolina State (12.2) while making his first start at home for the Lancers.  He is averaging 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while adding 22 three-pointers, 14 steals, and eight blocks through his first 12 games with the program.  Carey scored a team season-best and career-high 30 points against VMI (12.12), and followed with 20 points at Vanderbilt (12.19).  He is 21-39 (54%) from the field in his last three games, including 14-24 (58%) from three-point territory, adding 12 assists (4.0).  Carey is the team leader in three-point attempts (65).

Beyond The Arc
Martiz Washington continues to add to his school record with 215 career three-point field goals, earning this record distinction with his four three-pointers against Canisius (11.15).  Last year, he had established a new season record for three-point field goals (85).  Washington also ranks first in career three-point field goal attempts (571), and is seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.377, 215-571).  He is averaging 9.0 points, including a team-leading 25 three-pointers with five double-figure scoring games.  Washington leads the team in three-pointers and three-point attempts (65).

Not To Be Forgotten
Jan van der Kooij (7.3 points, 4.8 rebounds) is yet another fourth-year team member, and posted a season-high 19 points against Seton Hall (12.23).  A southpaw from The Netherlands, he moved into the starting lineup a year ago after starting just one of 32 games totaling 145 minutes during his first two years.  van der Kooij started 20 of 21 games before a late-season injury a year ago, averaging career highs of 7.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while playing 524 minutes.  He posted a career-high 20 points, a season-high 10 rebounds, and a career-high five assists along with six double-figure scoring games before missing the final 10 games with the injury.

Sophomores Now & Getting Better
Second-year team members David Robinson|Chesterfield (Cosby), Mark Parker|Clayton, N.C. (West Johnston), and Jeff Havenstein|Mt. Airy, Md. (Linganore) each saw plenty of action a year ago as true freshmen; they're seeing even more time this season.  Robinson (39-43 career FTs, .907) has played in every game, averaging 15.2 minutes and 5.8 points with a career-high 13 points against Virginia Intermont (11.13).  He leads the team in free throw percentage (.813, 13-16).  Parker (38-69 career 3FGs, .551) has played in 11 games, averaging 10.1 minutes and 4.4 points with a season-high 10 points at Nevada (11.22).  He leads the team in three-point percentage (.520, 13-25).  Havenstein (18-24 career FTs, .750) has played in every game as well, averaging 13.8 minutes and 2.5 rebounds with a career-high eight rebounds against UMKC (11.26).  He has a sister (Holly, 21) who plays basketball at Colgate, and a twin brother (Robby, 19) who plays football at Wisconsin.

Longwood Signs Three During Early Period
Longwood signed three individuals to its 2012 recruiting class during the recent National Letter of Intent early signing period, November 9-16.  Those who will join the Lancers for 2012-13 include Frank Holloway of Alexandria, Virginia via Garrett College in Maryland; Kirk Staine of Baldwin, New York via Baldwin High School; and Lucas Woodhouse of Greenlawn, New York via Harborfields High School. Holloway, a 6-6 forward, averaged 13.8 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 57% from the field and 72% at the free throw line last season.  Staine, also a 6-6 forward, averaged 2.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks a year ago.  Woodhouse, a 6-1 point guard, averaged 10.0 points and 11.0 assists while leading his high school team to the New York Class A State Championship game as a junior.  He was a first team Newsday All-Long Island selection last year.

Roster Change
Durann Neil, previously a fifth-year team member, recently made the decision to end his time with the program.  He had started four of five games earlier this season, averaging 5.8 points and 2.6 assists. Neil will remain at Longwood as he is expected to graduate in May 2012 with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminology and criminal justice, including a minor in political science.

Up Next
Longwood remains on the road at the United States Military Academy (Army) of the Patriot League on Tuesday, January 3, at 7 p.m. in West Point, New York.