FARMVILLE, Va. – Kevin Vannatta and Dylan Smith combined for 35 points, including 13 over the final 4:25, to help UNC Asheville pull away from Longwood in the closing minutes for a 70-61 Big South win Thursday afternoon in Willett Hall.
 
Smith and Vannatta came alive in the final five minutes of the game, keying a game-winning 16-6 run that erased a 55-54 Longwood lead. The Lancers took that lead at the 4:36 mark thanks to nine consecutive points from point guard Tra'Vaughn White, but Smith and Vannatta responded with 10 consecutive points of their own to put the Bulldogs ahead for good.
 
Smith scored 20 points for his third 20-point game of the season, while Vannatta finished with 15 to push the Bulldogs (8-5, 2-0 Big South) to their second straight Big South win.
 
After the Bulldogs took the lead off a pair of free throws by Ahmad Thomas, the Lancers (4-11, 0-2 Big South) regained their final lead of the afternoon at 57-56 as Lotanna Nwogbo scored in the paint off a pass from a driving Shaquille Johnson.
 
However, UNC Asheville iced the game down the stretch, nailing six free throws in the final two minutes to go along with a three-pointer by Smith at the one minute mark.

"I'm really disappointed," Longwood head coach Jayson Gee said after the loss. "We had 27 turnovers and that's just way too many for a game that we were competitive in, and had a chance to win. That tells the whole story."

The 27 turnovers were the most committed in a game this season by the Lancers.

White led the Lancers with 16 points, 13 coming in the second half. The scoring outburst was the highest point total put together by White since missing a month with a hand injury.

"He's very capable of doing that and it's good to see him do that," Gee said. "Plus, he's still playing with that hand that's recovering, but I thought he showed what he's capable of doing there at the end."

The senior guard scored 21 points with five three pointers made against Eastern Kentucky before sustaining the injury. White also had three steals in the game.

White was joined in double figures by Darrion Allen (13), Nwogbo (13) and Khris Lane (10). It was the fifth time the Lancers had at least four players reach double digits this season.

Allen set a new career high with five steals in the loss. The junior guard leads the Lancers with 28 steals, good for second in the conference. It was the fourth time Allen had a game with four or more steals this season.

Johnson stuffed the stat sheets with seven points, eight rebounds, two steals, and a game-high seven assists. The seniors, Johnson and Nwogbo, joined White and Allen with multiple-steal games as the Lancers had a season-high 15 swipes, besting the previous high of 11 against Cairn.

Longwood will have two days off, before it looks to rebound in its first game of the 2016 calendar year Saturday, Jan. 2 against Gardner-Webb. The opening tip from Willett Hall is set for 2 p.m.
 
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