Old Dominion (4-0) vs. Longwood (3-1)
Game Info – Saturday, Nov. 14 at 4 p.m.
Location – Chartway Arena (Norfolk, Va.)
Watch – ESPN+
Listen – ESPN Sports Radio 94.1
Live Stats – Click Here
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion men’s basketball has its first matchup with Longwood since 2021 this Saturday as the Monarchs take on the Lancers in a 4 p.m. game at the Chartway Arena.
Scott Jackson and Billy Mann will call the game on ESPN+ while Ted Alexander and Dennis Wolff can be heard on ESPN Sports Radio 94.1. Live stats will also be available.
The Monarchs will host a HACE Toy Drive on Saturday. Fans are encouraged to bring a toy to the game, with all donations going to ODU's hourly and classified employees to help support them and their families during the holiday season.
Series History
This weekend’s game will mark just the fourth meeting between the two programs, with ODU holding a 3-0 lead in the all-time series. All three games have been played in Norfolk. The Monarchs won the first-ever meeting, 88-56 on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004 and defeated the Lancers, 98-59 on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009.
The two teams last met on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, a game that went to the Silver and Blue, 62-61. Mekhi Long finished with 18 points while shooting 6-for-10 from the field with six rebounds and four blocks. C.J kyser added 12 points with two rebounds and two assists, and Jaylen Hunter led both teams with six assists to go with five points and three boards. Trailing 61-60 with nine seconds left following a pair of Longwood free throws by Justin Hill, Long took a long pass from Hunter and beat the buzzer with a layup as ODU completed a five-point, second-half comeback.
About ODU
ODU secured a 71-60 road win over their crosstown rival Norfolk State this past Wednesday. The Monarchs (4-0) held a narrow 36-24 lead at halftime and were outscored by the Spartans, 36-35 in the second half, but put together a late 5-0 run to secure the victory. Zacch Wiggins led ODU with 16 points and six rebounds. Jotham Nweke and Zamoku Weluche-Ume added 10 points apiece, while Bubu Benjamin also scored 10. With the win, the Silver and Blue are off to a 4-0 start for the first time since in 17 years when the opened the 2009-10 campaign with wins over Bethune-Cookman, Longwood, Liberty, and Marshall.
Through four games, Old Dominion has one player averaging double-digit scoring. Wiggins leads the Monarchs with 14.0 points per game, followed by Adante' Holiman with 9.5 ppg and Jared Turner with 8.8 ppg. Turner leads the team with 24 rebounds (6.0 rpg) and has connected on 11 three-pointers while shooting 61.1% from beyond the arc, good for first in the Sun Belt and 26th nationally. Khoi Thurmon (4.8 ppg) leads ODU with 19 assists and 4.75 per game, both of which rank second in the conference. Wiggins leads the team with six steals, while Bubu Benjamin (8.0 ppg) and Thurmon have five each. Jotham Nweke (4.5 ppg) is the team’s leader in blocks with six, averaging 1.5 per game.
The Monarchs net 76.3 ppg and rank 11th in the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to 54.5 ppg. Through games played on Nov. 11, the team also leads the SBC in field goal percentage (48.3%), effective field goal percentage (56.4%), field goal percentage defense (35.2%), scoring margin (+21.8), and three-point shooting (36.5%). ODU is also second in the league in rebounding margin (+13.3), turnover margin (-3.0), and bench production (33.5 ppg). The team is also shooting 67.2% at the free-throw line.
Head coach Mike Jones is in his third season leading the program and is 31-41 during his tenure.
About Longwood
The Lancers are off to a 3-1 start to the season and are coming off a 101-45 victory over Division III St. Mary’s (Md.) on Tuesday. LU built a 48-23 lead at halftime and outscored the Seahawks, 53-22 in the second half. Four Lancers scored in double figures, led by Jaylen Benard with 17 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Alphonzo Billups III was next with 15 points, Ben Wesson had 11 points, and TJ Robinson finished with 10 points, six boards, and four assists.
Billups is the team’s leading scorer at 15.5 ppg. A guard/forward from Richmond, Virginia, he leads the Big South Conference with 48 field goal attempts and is second in field goals made (24) and points (62). Also averaging double figures are Benard (14.8 ppg), MJ Williams (10.8 ppg), and Robinson (10.8 ppg). A senior guard from Houston, Texas, Benard has recorded two double-doubles, good for fifth in the country. He’s also eighth in Division I with 35 rebounds and is the Big South leader in rebounds per game (8.8), defensive rebounds per game (6.75), steals (8), and steals per game (2.00). Benard, Billups, and Williams have all dished out 10 assists, and Will Dopfer (4.5 ppg) has made a team-high three blocks.
LU comes into Saturday ranked 11th in the country with 48.75 rebounds per game. The Lancers are also 18th in offensive rebounds per game (16.75), 22nd in defensive rebounds per game (32.00), and 34th in scoring offense (94.3 ppg). They are holding opponents to 67.3 ppg for a +27.0-scoring margin and are shooting 48.2% from the floor, 34.4% from distance, and 55.7% at the free-throw line.
Longwood was picked to finish fourth in the Big South Preseason Poll behind High Point, Presbyterian, and Winthrop. Billups and Williams represented the Lancers on the Preseason All-Conference Second Team. Head coach Ronnie Thomas is in his second season in Farmville and has gone 19-17 so far.
Up Next
ODU will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia next Tuesday, Nov. 17 to take on the No. 6 Virginia Cavaliers. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is scheduled for 9 p.m.
SEASON SPONSOR
Bon Secours is the Presenting Sponsor of Old Dominion University’s 2026-27 Men’s Basketball Season. Bon Secours is proud to operate its four hospitals and medical centers in Hampton Roads and is even more proud to serve the surrounding community with exceptional care. It’s our mission at Bon Secours Hampton Roads to treat the whole person — mind, body and spirit, to bring compassion to health care, and to be good help to those in need. Bon Secours – the health care you deserve from a team you can trust.