2.21.2012 | Game Notes | pdf

FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University will play its final home game of the season on Wednesday night, February 22, against non-Division I Virginia-Wise during Senior Night at Willett Hall beginning at 7 p.m.  It's the first of four games for the Lancers (9-18) to close out the campaign over the next eight days as the final three games are on the road at NJIT (Feb. 25, 2 p.m.), nationally prominent Gonzaga (Feb. 27, 9 p.m. ET, ROOT SPORTS™ TV), and Seattle (Feb. 29, 10:10 p.m. ET).  Longwood continues to play with just seven healthy players in uniform, including three seniors who will be recognized during a special pre-game ceremony Wednesday night at approximately 6:55 p.m. – Antwan Carter|St. Petersburg, Fla. (St. Petersburg), Martiz Washington|Hopewell (Christchurch), and Jan van der Kooij|Tiendeveen, The Netherlands (Roelof van Echten).

Senior Night vs. Virginia-Wise
Longwood will recognize its three senior team members prior to the tip-off, including Antwan Carter, Martiz Washington, and Jan van der Kooij.  Carter has started 78 of 119 career games while posting career totals of 1,808 points, 981 rebounds, 123 assists, 97 steals, 88 blocks, and 36 three-point field goals.  Washington has started 60 of 120 career games while posting career totals of 1,040 points, 251 rebounds, 200 assists, 99 steals, one block, and 263 three-point field goals.  van der Kooij has started 48 of 80 career games while posting career totals of 388 points, 297 rebounds, 62 assists, 20 steals, 13 blocks, and 73 three-point field goals.

Date: February 22, 2012
Site: Farmville, Virginia
Facility: Willett Hall (1,807)
Tip: 7:05 p.m.
Radio: WVHL-FM 92.9
Talent: Scott Bacon
Internet: TEAMLINE
Live Video
Live Stats
Series: 10-1

Looking At Longwood | Season Statistics
Longwood is 9-18 overall, including 6-5 at home where the program is 38-14 (.731) during the past three-plus years, 2-11 on the road, and 1-2 in neutral-site games.  Antwan Carter (19.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 27-straight double-figure scoring games), along with Tristan Carey (13.1 points, 49 3FGs), continue to lead the Lancers this season.  They have been joined in the lineup by Martiz Washington (11.1 points, 73 3FGs) and Jan van der Kooij (6.8 points, 6.0 rebounds), and now Anthony Taylor (2.7 points).  LU averages 74.3 points while shooting 44% from the field, including 35% on three-point field goals (8.6), and 68% at the free throw line.

Are You Serious?
Longwood began this 2011-12 campaign with 12 healthy student-athletes on its active roster.  That number went to 11 on December 2 when Durann Neil chose to leave the program.  It became 10 the next day (12.3) when Jeylani Dublin injured his wrist.  The number dropped to nine on January 1 when Mark Parker injured his ankle.  It became eight a few weeks later (1.23) when Jeff Havenstein injured his foot.  The number dropped to seven on February 3 when Jeremiah Bowman received an indefinite suspension from the program.  It moved back to eight shortly thereafter as Havenstein, though not 100%, returned to action vs. Seattle (2.11).  Unfortunately, the number is back down to seven as David Robinson injured his ankle late in the game vs. Seattle (2.11).

Quoting Head Coach Mike Gillian
“We're into the final four games of the season over the course of the next week.  The final home game of the year is always emotional, and Wednesday night's game will be no different.  There are three seniors on this team who have put a whole lot into this program over the last four years and to be able to recognize them on the night of their last home game will be special. Antwan, Martiz, and Jan have worked through a lot of adversity and managed to stay attentive to the task at hand and keep this group moving forward.  I know that long after their college careers are over, they will look back and realize they gained an awful lot of valuable life experience in being a major part of the Longwood Basketball Program.

“After Wednesday, it's back on the road for the final three games of the season – each presenting it's own challenges.  NJIT is always tough at home, Gonzaga is a perennial top-20 program and NCAA Tournament team, and we had an incredible game here with Seattle a week or so ago.  These three games will draw to a close the 2011-12 season and also the end of an era for Longwood, playing as a Division I Independent.”

Looking At Virginia-Wise
NAIA member Virginia-Wise is coached by Lee Clark who is in his 16th year with the program, compiling a record of 198-300, including 9-14 this season following a 62-59 home win past Rio Grande (2.18).  Travis Berry (19.5 points) leads the Highland Cavaliers who average 69.3 points while shooting 40% from the field, including 24% on three-point field goals (3.2), and 62% at the line.  This will be the 12th meeting between the two schools in the sport, and Longwood leads the all-time series at 10-1 with 10 consecutive wins.

Looking At NJIT
NJIT of the Great West Conference is coached by Jim Engles who is in his fourth year with the program, compiling a record of 37-81, including 11-15 this season after a 78-68 road loss at Houston Baptist (2.18) and prior to a home game against CSU Bakersfield (2.22).  Isaiah Wilkerson (16.2 points) and Chris Flore (12.4 points) have led the Highlanders who are averaging 69.3 points while shooting 43% from the field, including 35% on three-point field goals (7.9), and 70% at the line.  This will be the 11th meeting between the two schools in the sport, and Longwood leads the all-time series at 7-3, including an 85-70 home win earlier this season (1.7).

Looking At Gonzaga
Gonzaga is coached by Mark Few who is in 12th year with the program, compiling an outstanding record of 312-78, including 21-5 this season following a 66-65 road loss at San Francisco (2.18) and prior to a home game against BYU (2.23) and a road game at San Diego (2.25).  Kevin Pangos (13.4 points, 60 3FGs), Elias Harris (13.2 points, 8.2 rebounds), and Robert Sacre (12.1 points, 6.5 rebounds) have led the Bulldogs who are averaging 73.5 points while shooting 47% from the field, including 37% on three-point field goals (6.2), and 71% at the line.  This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools in the sport.

Looking At Seattle
Seattle is coached by Cameron Dollar who is in his fourth year with the program, compiling a record of 49-70, including 10-14 this season following a 73-59 home win past UC Davis (2.20) and prior to a road game at Fresno State (2.23).  Aaron Broussard (18.2 points, 6.6 rebounds) leads the Redhawks who average 74.5 points while shooting 43% from the field, including 33% on three-point field goals (6.9), and 70% at the line.  This will be the second meeting between the two schools in the sport, including Seattle's come-from-behind 100-99 overtime win in Farmville earlier this season (2.11).

Looking Back …
Longwood dropped three of four recent games, defeating non-Division I Washington Adventist 90-88 on Feb. 15 at Willett Hall in Farmville, while falling at home to both Seattle 100-99 in overtime on Feb. 11 and North Dakota 67-59 on Feb. 18, before a 66-52 road loss at Norfolk State on Feb. 20.

New Longwood Career Scoring Leader
Antwan Carter scored 19 points at Norfolk State (2.20) to become the new all-time scoring leader at Longwood with 1,808 career points.  He tied the old mark on a tip-in basket with 4:49 remaining, and set the new record with a jumper from just inside the three-point line and left of the circle with 1:04 on the clock.  He surpassed the record previously owned by Kevin Jefferson '90 who scored 1,806 career points, and Carter is now the only player in the 36-year history of the program with at least 1,800 career points and 900 career rebounds (981), surpassing the combined scoring and rebounding efforts of former All-American and 17-year NBA veteran Jerome Kersey '84 (1,756 points, 1,162 rebounds).

Who's Hot?
Antwan Carter … the fourth-year southpaw has been consistent all season with his 27 consecutive double-figure scoring games, 38-straight to last year, and 11 double-doubles (38 for his career); however, he is averaging an impressive double-double of 22.1 points and 10.8 rebounds over the past 12 games, including eight 20-point-plus games while adding 15 assists, 14 blocks, and 13 steals.

Tristan Carey is averaging 16.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists over the past nine games.  Martiz Washington is averaging 13.7 points, including 42-94 three-pointers (.447), over the past 12 games.

Climbing The Record Book
In addition to his new Longwood scoring record, Antwan Carter also is now the new record holder in career field goals (751) while continuing to climb the record book in other categories, ranking second in rebounds (981), third in field goal attempts (1382), fifth in blocks (88), sixth in field goal percentage (.543, 751-1382) and free throw attempts (404), and eighth in free throws (270).

Beyond the Arc
Martiz Washington continues to add to his school record with 263 career three-point field goals.  Last season, he had established a new season record for three-pointers (85).  Washington also ranks first in career three-point attempts (689), and sixth in three-point percentage (.382, 263-689).

NCAA Statistical Rankings
Through 26 games, Longwood ranked 13th in Division I three-point field goals per game (8.7), while 21st in assists (15.8), 24th in assist-turnover ratio (1.24), and 37th in scoring (75.2).  Antwan Carter ranked 22nd in scoring (19.4), 32nd in rebounding (9.5), and 51st in field goal percentage (52.6).  Martiz Washington ranked 29th in three-point field goals (2.8), and three-point percentage (41.6). 

Longwood To Join Big South Conference July 1
In case you missed it … Big South Conference officials announced January 23 that Longwood will become the League's 12th member as of July 1, 2012.  The Lancers were invited to join the conference following a vote by the Big South Council of Chief Executive Officers.  Big South President and Radford University President Penelope W. Kyle, along with Big South Commissioner Kyle Kallander, Longwood President Patrick Finnegan, and Longwood Director of Athletics Troy Austin, made the announcement on campus.  The addition of Longwood increases the Big South membership to 12 institutions for the first time in League history, and the conference will now have four members based in Virginia (Liberty, Longwood, Radford, VMI), as well as four each in North Carolina (Campbell, Gardner-Webb, High Point, UNC Asheville) and South Carolina (Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, Presbyterian, Winthrop).