BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell guard Chris Clemons scored 25 points and hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final 13 seconds to close out a wild finish that saw the Fighting Camels do just enough to outlast a determined and short-handed Longwood squad, 83-79, Thursday evening at the Pope Convocation Center.
 
Taking on an injury-ravaged Longwood team that used just six players for all but the final three seconds of the game, Campbell (12-13, 5-8 Big South) needed a late stand in the closing minute to ward off the Lancers, who overcame an 11-point deficit to take a 71-70 lead with 2:38 remaining.
 
"I just told the guys to keep their heads up," said Longwood head coach Jayson Gee, whose five-game win streak against the Fighting Camels came to an end Thursday. "They fought tonight. They made some plays and got some key stops. We got down several times, and the kids still fought back and tried to find a way to win. They just didn't have enough at the end."
 
On paper, Longwood may not have had enough at the beginning either. With four players out due to major injuries, the Lancers dressed just eight players for the fifth straight game. Only seven of those are on scholarship, and Thursday, Gee opted to run with a six-man rotation until five fouls to backcourt stars Darrion Allen and Isaiah Walton forced him to deploy walk-on point guard Dominic Ezeani on the final possession.
 
However, despite the numbers disadvantage, the Lancers (6-18, 3-10 Big South) surged back from a double-digit deficit in the second half, mounting a 19-7 run during a six-minute span in the final quarter of the game to take a 71-70 lead with 2:38 remaining.
 
Senior Isaac Belton, in the midst of the best season of his career, gave Longwood that lead when he spun through the lane and dropped in a go-ahead layup to cap a 10-point night that made him one of five double-figure scorers for the Lancers.
 
That lead was short-lived, however, as Campbell freshman Marcus Burk answered with a go-ahead three-pointer on the next possession to put the Fighting Camels ahead for good.
 
"[Burk's three-pointer] down the stretch was really a nail in the coffin," said Gee. "There were some difficult calls too, but usually that bad call that puts you out of the game is not what caused it. It's what you did before that, so we have to examine ourselves on that."
 
Longwood chipped that deficit back to within one point with 32 seconds remaining, but a foul call on Lancer forward Khris Lane was upgraded to a flagrant 1 after video review. The call gave Shane Whitfield two free throws, which he hit, and it gave the Fighting Camels the ball back with a three-point lead. Longwood was then forced to foul Clemons twice in the final 15 seconds, setting up the Big South's leading scorer to hit 3-of-4 free throws to ice the game.
 
Two of Clemons' free throws came with three seconds left, extending a two-point lead to a game-ending four points.
 
Longwood's short-handed effort was made possible by five double-figure scorers, including a heroic 28-point effort from Walton. The 6-4, 185-pound redshirt sophomore hit 9-of-13 shots from the field en route to a career-high scoring performance, taking over the game in the second half to the tune of 18 points before he fouled out with 38 seconds remaining.
 
"We know he's an explosive scorer, and that's really what we brought him for, to be a wing player," Gee said of Walton, who was forced to play point guard due to Longwood's rash of injuries. "He took advantage of those opportunities when he had them tonight, but at the end of the day we need him to play some point guard too. You can't totally avoid that, but I thought his attitude and the way he adjusted was terrific."
 
Once Walton's fifth foul forced him to the bench, Allen shouldered the load for Longwood, converting a three-point play with 32 seconds left to cut Campbell's lead to 78-77 and then slicing through the lane to sink a contested layup with six seconds remaining to pull the game back to within two points. The Big South leader in minutes per game, he finished with 18 points and three assists across 39 minutes of action.
 
"I thought DJ Allen was incredible today," Gee said. "This was one of his better games of the year. Nineteen points, three rebounds and three assists. We played him a lot at the point, and he only had one turnover. That was a big deal, and I just can't tell you how proud I am of him. We're just disappointed we didn't get the win."
 
Allen suffered the same fate as Walton, however, after he was forced to spend his fifth foul on Clemons with three seconds remaining. That foul sent Clemons to the line where he turned Campbell's 81-79 lead into a two-possession advantage by hitting his final two free throws.
 
The win snaps a five-game win streak for the Lancers in the series against Campbell and marks Longwood's first loss on Campbell's home floor since joining the Big South in 2012-13. The Fighting Camels, meanwhile, climbed back into sixth place in the Big South standings.
 
The loss leaves Longwood with just five regular season games remaining before the start of the Big South Championship on Feb. 28. That final stretch begins with back-to-back home games in Willett Hall, starting first with Saturday's 5 p.m. showdown against reigning Big South champion UNC Asheville and following Wednesday against preseason favorite Winthrop at 7 p.m.
 
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