GameDay Preview: at Eastern Michigan (4–0)
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Karrington Ward will give Longwood quite the challenge in the frontcourt today.[/caption]
Where: Convocation Center (Ypsilanti, MI)
When: Sunday November 23, 2:30 PM
TV/Streaming: Eagle All-Access (PPV)
Radio: WVHL 92.9
Line: +16.5
LancersBlog GameThread
Q&A with Hustle Belt
Keys to the Game
1. Limit Turnovers: Longwood ran an effective offense last night shooting 55.4% from the field. The bad thing was that the Lancers turned the ball over far too much. All in all there were 17 turnovers and every Lancer in the lineup, except Kanayo Obi-Rapu, coughed up the ball at least twice.
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2. Improved Free Throw Shooting: Longwood shot just 25% from the free throw line yesterday but that wasn’t the only problem. It was the lack of volume, 8 attempts, more so than the percentage that was troubling. Longwood has guys who can slash, like DJ Allen and Quincy Taylor, who should be able to draw contact and get to the line. Longwood cannot afford another 20+ free throw attempt differential today.
3. Quincy Finding His Rhythm: Longwood’s offense looked fine for most of the first half yesterday but Quincy Taylor just didn’t look like he was in a groove for about the first 30+ minutes of action. Quincy woke up a bit and really became a huge factor and lead the Lancers comeback in the second half. If we could get 40 minutes of that version of Quincy then we have a chance today against the host Eagles.
Game Summary
Longwood will close out the EMU Showcase Tournament today with a matinee against the host Eagles who currently stand 4–0 this season. EMU is the most talented team in this tournament but they certainly aren’t as talented as the team that made the NCAA Tournament last year, as evidenced by their 10 point average margin of victory this year against comparable competition to Longwood. EMU beat Youngstown State 71–62 on Friday and then beat UNC Greensboro 70–62 last night.
The frontcourt leads the way for the Eagles with senior Karrington Ward and George Mason transfer Anali Okoloji. Ward is an uber athletic 6'7 forward who is averaging 17.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per gam thus far this season. He’s a different kind of big that Longwood has not seen before this year and combining him with Okoloji should give the Lancers problem. Okoloji is averaging 10 points and 5.8 rebounds this year after playing sparingly at George Mason and Seton Hall over the last few years.
The backcourt is lead by sophomore guard Raven Lee who dropped 25 points on UNCG last night. On the season Lee is averaging 19 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest while shooting over 47% from beyond the arc. Lee is joined by senior Duquesne transfer Mike Talley who orchestrates the Eagles offense and is averaging over 4 assists per game while contributing nearly 10 points per game.
Long story short, this will be a tough game for Longwood but it’s most certainly a winnable one if everyone is clicking on all cylinders. The next three games Longwood will play in will feature tougher and tougher opponents as the schedule progresses.
Lotanna Nwobo is averaging a double-double for the whole EMU Tournament thus far with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Shaq Johnson has also been impressive with 14.5 points and 4.5 assists per contest. Both have a good chance to be named to the all-tournament team if they perform well today in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
