HIGH POINT, N.C. – Longwood is 2-0 in the Big South for the first time in school history.
 
Just two days after taking down Campbell 79-77 in the Big South opener, the Lancers (5-8, 2-0 Big South) ended 2016 on a high note by upsetting four-time Big South regular season champion High Point on the Panthers' home floor, 60-55, Saturday in the Millis Convocation Center.
 
The win propelled Longwood to the program's first 2-0 start in Big South play since joining the conference five years ago. It marked the second straight year the Lancers have upset the reigning Big South champion after routing Coastal Carolina by 15 points last season.
 
"The guys played with great resiliency," said fourth-year head coach Jayson Gee, who has taken Longwood from an 11th-place conference finish in his first year to ninth place in year two and a program-best eighth place last season.
 
"They refuse to feel sorry for themselves. We really fought today and came up with a huge win for our season and our program. We've been battle-tested through the non-conference, and now we're in the right mindset for success. It was a long way to travel, but I love where we're headed."
 
Redshirt junior forward Khris Lane went off for the second straight game, racking up 18 points and seven rebounds after torching Campbell for 30 points and eight rebounds in Thursday's 79-77 win over Campbell. Redshirt sophomore guard Isaiah Walton poured in 16 points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds and hit the go-ahead layup with 1:41 to play to give the Lancers the lead for good.
 
The historic start to Longwood's conference season came amid a roster decimated by injuries and down to just eight scholarship players with season-ending knee injuries to point guard Juan Munoz and forward Jahleem Montague and a broken foot suffered by starting forward Damarion Geter.
 
Using just seven players for the second straight game, the Lancers beat High Point (7-7, 1-1 Big South) for the first time since joining the Big South in 2012-13. The win was Longwood's first at High Point since 1993 and snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Panthers, who entered the 2016-17 season with four consecutive Big South regular season championships.
 
"These young men, I just couldn't be happier for them," said fourth-year associate head coach Jake Luhn. "They've been through a lot, a lot of adversity, a lot of challenges, much of which they had no control over. That's the hardest thing for a young man who's worked his tail off for an entire preseason, to have these expectations, then be looking at a totally different unit than what it was designed for.To say to them,  I know we talked about those things, and I know we said we were going to do some of those things, but scrap it. We're going to have to do it differently if we want to be successful. And they bought in."
 
Perhaps no player on Longwood's roster has had to adjust to a new role more so than Walton, a combo guard whom Longwood's injury-riddled attrition has forced to assume primary point guard duties. Since taking over that spot five games ago, Walton is averaging 14.0 points and a team-high 3.8 assists per game. He hit the go-ahead layup with 1:14 left Saturday against the Panthers, giving the Lancers a lead they would not relinquish.
 
Walton's go-ahead layup preceded a momentum-clinching three-pointer from Lane, who knocked down a long trey from the top of the key to give the Lancers a 55-50 lead. Gee called a timeout eight seconds later, prepping the Lancers for a final minute in which they would force High Point into three turnovers and knock down 5-of-6 free throws, four of which were from Walton.
 
"Coach Gee, he took our final timeout at one minute," Luhn said. "Basically what he said was, guys, we're going to get organized right here. This is my last time to talk to you unless they get one, and I'm trusting you guys. I'm going to tell you what I want, and this is the pressure look I think they're going to show. And our guys executed that."
 
Longwood also outworked High Point on the boards, outrebounding the Panthers 37-35 on the way to 11 second-chance points on second-chance opportunities. That marked the second straight game the Lancers have outrebounded their opposition after doing so just once in their first 11 games.
 
"At the end of the day, what we needed was spirit, unity and the ability to fight through some adversity," Luhn said. "We knew we were going to face number one, a really historically strong High Point team, and number two, our own challenges of developing chemistry with the new positions these young men are playing the roles they're filling."
 
Darrion Allen and JaShaun Smith added nine points apiece for Longwood to offset a 17-point night from High Point forward Miles Bowman Jr., 13 points from Anthony Lindauer and 11 from Andre Fox.
 
"Everybody contributed," Luhn said. "Intangible plays. Loose balls. Second effort when you don't get the rebound the first time. We saw Khris Lane, how many times did he have to jump six or seven times, tap it a couple times, grab it between three people and just finish it. It's going to take that level of resiliency in the intangible areas. Every one of our guys got dirty tonight."
 
Longwood will have a chance to extend their best Big South start in program history this Wednesday, Jan. 4, when Presbyterian comes to Willett Hall for a 7 p.m. matchup.
 
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