NO. 10 LONGWOOD AWAITS RADFORD IN BSC QUARTERFINALS

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GAME INFORMATION

SETTING THE STAGE

Thursday's contest begins Radford's quest for a third Big South Tournament title. The Highlanders previously took home the trophy in 1998 and 2009
An appearance in the semifinals would be Radford's second in a row, but only the second time since 2010
Longwood is searching for its first Big South Championship since joining the league in 2012-13

SERIES HISTORY

Radford and Longwood have met 28 times previously with the Highlanders taking a 21-7 lead in the series
The Highlanders are 8-4 against the Lancers since they joined the Big South six seasons ago
While their first meeting this year resulted in a close game – a 70-63 win for Radford – their second meeting resulted in a 70-47 drubbing of the Lancers at Willett Hall to end the regular season

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Record: 19-12 (12-6 BSC) | RPI: 137
The 2017-18 season is the first time Radford has earned 12 wins in conference play since the 2014-15 campaign
Head Coach Mike Jones was named Big South Coach of the Year. He led the Highlanders to a second-place finish in the regular season after being picked seventh in the preseason poll
Junior forward Ed Polite Jr. was named First Team All-Big South on Monday after averaging 13.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.0 blocks per game
Redshirt freshman guard Carlik Jones was tabbed Big South Freshman of the Year in addition to being placed on the All-Freshman team and Honorable Mention All-Conference list
Junior guard Caleb Tanner was named to the Big South All-Academic team after earning a 3.2 GPA in Sport Administration
The Highlanders are riding a four-game win streak to end the regular season. They have a +15.3 scoring margin in those four games
In the regular season finale, Radford help Longwood to opponent season-lows of 47 points, 16 made field goals, .308 field goal percentage, two made 3-pointers and a .111 3-point field goal percentage
Freshman forward Leroy Butts IV played the best game of his college career, producing career highs in points (11), field goals (5), field goal attempts (9), rebounds (7), and minutes played (21)
Radford is tied for the most road win in the league this season with seven. The Highlanders are 2-0 on a neutral court as well

SCOUTING THE LANCERS

Record: 7-25 (3-15 BSC) | RPI: 335
Head Coach Jayson Gee is in his fifth season at the helm of the Longwood men's basketball program. He has accumulated a record of 42-119 in that time and is 2-8 against Radford
Longwood was picked to finish ninth in the Big South preseason poll, but took 10^th thanks to a 12-game losing streak that ended the regular season
The Lancers are coming off a huge 68-55 upset of No. 7 High Point in the First Round of the Big South Championship
They scored 26 points off 17 forced turnovers (12 steals) and held the Panthers to a 39.6 field goal percentage
Longwood lost by an average of 13.5 points per game during their losing streak
Five of Longwood's seven wins this season have come at home. They are 2-13 on the road and 0-1 at neutral sites
Junior guard Isaiah Walton leads the Lancers and ranks sixth in the Big South with 16.2 points per game
B.K. Ashe is the second-leading scorer on Longwood with 12.8 points per game. He leads the squad with 76 assists this season
Senior big man Damarion Geter has been a force on the glass this season, ranking fourth in the conference with 7.3 rebounds per game
In the Big South, Longwood comes in last in scoring offense, scoring defense, scoring margin, free throw percentage, field goal percentage, rebounding defense, assists and turnover margin

UP NEXT

If the Highlanders defeat the Lancers in the quarterfinals, they will advance to the Big South Championship semifinals and face off against No. 3 Winthrop or No. 6 Gardner-Webb
The Eagles and Runnin' Bulldogs play at 3 p.m. on Thursday, immediately following Radford's matchup with Longwood

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