You’ve read the recaps. Now let’s take a look Inside the Numbers behind both games featuring Longwood and Winthrop.

Game 1

  • You’re grounded: It’s probably best if we let Longwood’s sports information department tell you about the Lancers’ accomplishment from Thursday night.
  • Paint touch-ups: Following Winthrop’s being outscored in the paint — in both games — by Gardner-Webb, the Eagles flipped the trend Thursday night. Whether by design or necessity, the Eagles got downhill with much more efficiency. Winthrop outscored Longwood, 46-26, in the lane, powered by a combined 9-for-11 on layups and dunks. The home side was 1-for-11 from beyond the arc in the opening 20, and a (slightly) better 3-for-9 from distance in the second period. My cohort Alex Zietlow made the point — and I’ll echo it — that one of those three second-half treys changed the game.

Longwood had cut the Winthrop lead to a single bucket at 46-44. From there, Chandler Vaudrin hit a bucket in the paint, followed by a missed triple by Jesper Granlund late in the shot clock on the other end. (I didn’t get a chance to talk to Griff Aldrich after the game, but I can’t imagine that’s the shot for which he hoped on that possession.) Mike Anumba then took up residence in his preferred right corner, hauled in a Vaudrin pass, and splashed home the shot from which the Lancers were unable to recover.

  • Exhilarating XV: 15 seems to have been a popular number in Thursday’s game. A combined 16 players played 15 minutes or more between the two teams, including eight of the nine players to see the floor for Longwood. Guard Nate Lliteras played just three minutes for the Lancers. The back-to-backs have not been a significant issue for Winthrop this season, and Longwood bounced back to take down Campbell last Sunday night in the back end of a two-gamer. Winthrop has told us on several occasions how they manage to get through the grind of these series (extra rest, stretching, depth, great training staff, and more), and I would really like to hear Longwood’s preparation plan.
  • The Continuing Education of Justin Hill: Longwood’s freshman point guard from Texas has continued to develop as the year has progressed, learning from the Lancers’ stable of veteran backcourt players. Hill quite ably spelled Juan Munoz Thursday as the Lancer leader battled foul trouble, pouring in 15 points off the pine on 4-of-8 shooting. Hill also managed to get…well, downhill quite effectively, drawing seven tries from the foul line and hitting six. It’s easy to see why Coach Aldrich raves about Hill’s athleticism and potential, and having Hill and Munoz on the floor at the same time could pose for some interesting sets.
  • Rebounding Russ: Winthrop was led in rebounding by the usual suspect — Vaudrin — but the second-leading rebounder might surprise you a bit. Yes, that would be 5-foot-7 guard Russell Jones, who hauled in five caroms in 19 minutes. Russ is continually doing something to help his club, and is the perfect foil for Vaudrin on the floor for the Eagles.

And finally, the Hustle Stats:

  • Points in the paint:  Winthrop 46, Longwood 26
  • Points off turnovers:  Winthrop 17, Longwood 12
  • Second-chance points:  Winthrop 12, Longwood 11
  • Fast-break points:  Winthrop 2, Longwood 0

WINTHROP 72, LONGWOOD 61

LONGWOOD (3-12, 2-7 BIG SOUTH): Wilson 1-4 2-4 4, Wade 3-11 1-1 8, Watson 3-6 1-2 7, Granlund 1-4 0-0 2, Munoz 2-10 6-10 11, Nkereuwem 3-7 0-0 6, Lliteras 0-0 0-0 0, Hill 4-8 6-7 14, Bligen 2-7 3-4 8. Totals 19-57 19-28 61.

WINTHROP (12-0, 9-0): Anumba 3-3 7-9 14, Falden 3-9 3-3 9, Zunic 0-5 0-0 0, Burns 5-9 0-0 10, Vaudrin 6-9 1-1 13, Jones 1-3 0-0 2, Lane 1-3 0-0 0, Talford 3-4 1-2 7, King 0-1 0-0 0, Arms 4-8 0-1 10, Corbin 0-1 0-0 0, Claxton 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 27-57 14-18 72.

Halftime — Winthrop 32-23. 3-Point Goals—Longwood 4-17 (Wilson 0-1, Wade 1-5, Granlund 0-1, Munoz 1-7, Hill 1-2, Bligen 1-1), Winthrop 4-20 (Anumba 1-1, Falden 0-4, Zunic 0-3, Vaudrin 0-2, Lane 1-3, Arms 2-5, Corbin 0-1, Claxton 0-1). Fouled Out — Munoz (LU). Rebounds — Winthrop 39 (Vaudrin 8), Longwood 38 (Wilson/Watson/Bligen 7). Assists —Winthrop 10 (Vaudrin 5), Longwood 6 (Watson 2). Total Fouls — Winthrop 25, Longwood 19. Technical — Zunic (WU). A —NA.

Game 2

  • PPP loan: Longwood notched a problematic .735 PPP Friday night (thanks to our good friend @LongwoodStats on Twitter for the reminder/heads-up on that stat!). Winthrop reached Longwood’s final point total (50) with 14 minutes before the final horn. The Lancers tallied eight-tenths of a point per trip in the second half, but the damage had already been done at that point. Winthrop led by 14 at the half, and the lead never reached single digits in the closing 20.
  • Leslie Nailed-some: Longwood forward Leslie Nkereuwem is still developing in his game, but as I said during the contest:

Nkereuwem put home 5-of-5 tries from the field, notching 11 points. He showed Lancer fans just what they could have in him. He’s not a prototypical “five”, but he went right at Winthrop’s DJ Burns time and time again. The Lancers have been beleaguered by injuries to some of their frontcourt players, but Nkereuwem’s growth may be a nice benefit.

  • Selection Shun-day: Longwood struggled with shot selection at times, and I commented on that during the game.

Longwood snared just five offensive rebounds, and as such, averaged just 20 seconds per possession. The inability to extend possessions enabled Winthrop to get out in transition. One of the times in transition provided one of the plays that helped turn the tide.

Chandler Vaudrin was induced into committing a turnover at center court, and Longwood’s Heru Bligen took off toward the other end of the floor. Instead of jogging down the floor and essentially surrendering the layup, Vaudrin tallied a chase-down block, then redirected the ball back up the floor to DJ Burns, who hammered home a dunk. The other came when Adonis Arms banged home a three for Winthrop with 7:34 left that gave the Eagles a 16-point lead and knocked out the already-staggering Lancers.

  • Keeping perspective: I asked Kelsey after Friday’s game about the players being able to create a pass list and have a few people in the stands (safely distanced, of course). His answer really put a lot of things into focus, and was so good that it bears hearing.
Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey explains what it meant for his players to have some support in the stands.

And finally, the Hustle Stats:

  • Points in the paint:  Longwood 28, Winthrop 28
  • Points off turnovers:  Winthrop 17, Longwood 13
  • Second-chance points:  Winthrop 5, Longwood 4
  • Fast-break points:  Winthrop 15, Longwood 2

WINTHROP 70, LONGWOOD 50

LONGWOOD (3-13, 2-8 BIG SOUTH): Wilson 1-5 0-0 2, Wade 1-4 0-0 2, Watson 1-3 0-0 2, Granlund 2-5 0-0 5, Munoz 5-11 1-3 15, Nkereuwem 5-5 1-2 11, Lliteras 0-1 0-0 0, Stefanovic 0-0 1-2 1, Hill 3-9 2-2 8, Bligen 2-8 0-0 4. Totals 20-51 5-9 50.

WINTHROP (13-0, 10-0): Anumba 2-4 8-8 12, Falden 0-1 0-0 0, Zunic 2-6 0-0 6, Burns 5-7 2-2 12, Vaudrin 3-9 0-0 6, Jones 2-3 0-0 5, Lane 1-1 0-0 3, Pupavac 0-0 0-0 0, Talford 0-1 0-0 0, Buss 0-0 0-0 0, King 0-1 0-0 0, Arms 3-10 8-9 15, Corbin 2-6 0-0 6, Claxton 2-3 1-2 5, Hunter 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-52 19-21 70.

Halftime — Winthrop 36-22. 3-Point Goals—Winthrop 7-24 (Anumba 0-2, Falden 0-1, Zunic 2-4, Vaudrin 0-3, Jones 1-1, Lane 1-1, King 0-1, Arms 1-5, Corbin 2-4), Longwood 5-21 (Wilson 0-3, Wade 0-2, Granlund 1-2, Munoz 4-10, Lliteras 0-1, Hill 0-2, Bligen 0-1). Fouled Out — NA. Rebounds — Winthrop 38 (Arms 8), Longwood 27 (Munoz 6). Assists —Winthrop 17 (Vaudrin 7), Longwood 5 (Granlund/Hill 2). Total Fouls — Longwood 17, Winthrop 13. Technical — NA. A —NA.