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FARMVILLE, Va. – Last season Longwood called on Darrion Allen as the first man off the bench a team-high 13 times. Saturday in his junior season debut, he was called on for much more that.
 
Stepping into a starting role for a Lancer team without its top two point guards for the preseason opener, the 6-2, 165-pound two-guard answered the call with 15 points and a career-high 11 rebounds to lead Longwood to a 71-68 win over Hampden-Sydney in front of a sellout crowd Saturday night in Willett Hall.
 
The win featured a 40-point second half for the Lancers, who were down 35-31 at intermission but rallied behind Allen to defeat the Tigers in the preseason opener for the second straight season. Allen's first career double-double came across a team-high 38 minutes and helped Longwood overcome a 28-point effort from Hampden-Sydney sharpshooter Jake Duncan, an NJIT transfer who put his Division I shooting stroke on display by hitting 8-of-13 three-pointers.
 
"Hampden-Sydney came out with a chip on their shoulder," Allen said. "Duncan shot the lights out, but we adjusted in the second half. We have to work on the little things, especially on the defensive end. At the end of the day, that's what's going to win games for us."
 
Allen was key to Longwood's defensive resurgence in the second half, taking over primary guard duties on Duncan after intermission. After Duncan put the Tigers on his back with a first-half effort that saw him score 18 points on six three-pointers, Allen switched his defensive assignment to the Tiger marksman and held him to 10 points the rest of the way. Duncan hit just 2-of-4 treys with Allen guarding and came up short on what would have been a game-tying three at the 2:56 mark.
 
Allen shut out Duncan over the final six minutes until Duncan sank a layup at the buzzer to put the final at three points.
 
Longwood fed off Allen's defense as a whole, derailing a late surge by the Tigers who overcame an eight-point deficit of their own in the final five minutes. A three-pointer by Mitch Owens and a layup by JaVonte Reddick cut Longwood's lead to 67-64 inside the four-minute mark, but with Allen taking Duncan out of the game, Hampden-Sydney missed six of their final seven shots. Two of those shot attempts were batted away by redshirt sophomore Khris Lane, who filled the stat sheet in his Longwood debut with eight points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
 
 "I thought our guys showed resiliency and some mental toughness," said third-year Longwood head coach Jayson Gee.
 
"DJ Allen was terrific. He forced some key turnovers when he was guarding Duncan in the second half. He played hard, and I was really proud of him. I was impressed with Isaac Belton, who came in and did some nice things for us after having a good week of practice. He got some key steals and a dunk that got us going. The reality is, I thought our guys stepped up when called upon."
 
Allen and Belton, both juniors, were two of several role players from last year's Lancer team who shared the spotlight Saturday. Belton finished with six points and three steals that led to four more points. Sophomore forward Victor Dorsey used his eight minutes of play to score seven points on 3-of-5 shooting. Sophomore Kanayo Obi-Rapu muscled his way to 13 points, four rebounds and five assists while splitting time at the point with redshirt freshman Bryan Gee.
 
Gee, meanwhile, was thrust into the starting point guard role in his first collegiate game and responded with five points, four rebounds, three assists and just two turnovers across 32 minutes. He hit 5-of-7 free throws, including the game-clincher at the 12-second mark that extended Longwood's lead to 70-66, and teamed with freshman Chris Shields to give Longwood a combined 15 points from its freshman class.
 
"We knew we were going to be down tonight, we knew that couldn't stop us," Allen said. "Everybody had to step up. Bryan Gee stepped up big-time today. Kanayo at the point too…they led us in the right direction to give us the win."
 
The win marks the end of the preseason for the Lancers, who now turn their attention to the regular season opener against Randolph this Friday, Nov. 13. That will be the first of two straight home games for Longwood, which follows with a six-game road stretch.

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