Members of the women’s basketball team

Members of the women’s basketball team rev up the crowd during Lancer Madness (Photo by Sam Chase ’21). 

Longwood fans got their first look at the 2019-20 Lancer men’s and women’s basketball teams during the annual Lancer Madness season tipoff event Oct. 22.

Both teams took to Jerome Kersey Court in Willett Hall in front of a capacity student crowd for a night of high-flying dunks and dancing. The hourlong program featured performances from Longwood cheerleading, the Blue Heat dance team and the Lancer Stampede band before the basketball teams took the court.

The Lancer men’s and women’s teams began by treating their fans to a dance contest, which the men won to avenge last year’s loss to the women.

A mixed 3-point shootout was next. Juan Munoz ’22, a sociology major, and Allysah “Cookie” Boothe ’21, a business major, paired up to take the prize from Shabooty Phillips ’20, a sociology major, and Anne Leroy ’23, a biology major, despite a near-perfect performance from Leroy.

The highlight of the night was a dunk contest showdown between men’s team members Jordan Cintron ’21, a communication studies major, and Leslie Nkereuwem ’23, with both showcasing some eye-popping athleticism. As scored by guest judges President W. Taylor Reveley IV, Commonwealth’s Attorney Megan Clark, athletics director Michelle Meadows, local restaurateur Nash Osborne and Dr. Tim Pierson, vice president for student affairs, Nkereuwem took home the title with a trio of acrobatic throw downs. Nkereuwem even drew a score of 11 out of 10 from President Reveley on his final dunk to put him over the top.

The Lancer men opened the 2019-20 season at home on Nov. 5 against Marymount, while the women played their first game Nov. 6 at James Madison.

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