The Thanksgiving holiday was good to Longwood University’s men’s basketball team. It achieved a win, giving it strong momentum going into Saturday’s showdown against visiting in-state rival James Madison University.

Five days after suffering a confidence-shaking, 15-point loss on the road at Saint Francis University, the Lancers (2-3) bounced back in dominant fashion, erupting for their second 80-point game of the season to take down Dartmouth College 86-80 Monday in Willett Hall.

Led by a pair of 20-point performances from frontcourt bruiser Khris Lane and do-it-all combo guard Isaiah Walton, the Lancers shot a season-best .492 (30-of-61) from the field, hit 12 three-pointers and committed a season-low 11 turnovers to notch their second win in the past three games and second straight home victory.

“I was very impressed with our basketball team,” said Longwood Head Coach Jayson Gee. “When you’ve had a tough start to the season, it impacts your confidence, your energy, all those things. I thought we fought through a lot of that and came out on the positive end.”

Longwood’s bounce-back effort was a team-wide production as Lane, Walton and guard Darrion Allen all scored in double figures, point guard Kendrick Thompson dished seven assists, grabbed five steals and scored nine points without a turnover, and the Lancer bench contributed 18 points. Seven different Lancers hit multiple field goals, six hit a 3-pointer and six had at least one assist.

That balanced performance helped Longwood overcome a pair of 21-point nights from Dartmouth (0-4) forward and reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year Evan Boudreaux and guard Guilien Smith. Those two led a late comeback charge by combining for 19 points during the game’s final nine minutes, cutting a double-digit Longwood lead to make it a one-possession game with 24 seconds to play.

However, a layup by Walton from Chris Shields with 18 seconds left made it a two-possession game again, and clutch free throw shooting from Allen and Walton sealed the win.

“It was a great win for us,” said Thompson, whose career-high seven assists led to five 3-pointers and 19 points. “The gameplan was to just come in and be selfless and move the ball. When we move the ball, we get good shots. That all started in practice this week. Our focus coming in was on executing our plays, moving the ball and denying the wings so they couldn’t get open shots.”

Longwood did just that, opening up lanes for the double-digit scoring trio of Allen, Lane and Walton, who benefited from assists on 10 of their combined 20 field goals. Thompson was especially generous to those three, dishing six of his assists to Longwood’s Big Three.

“One of the things we did well tonight was we really shared the basketball,” Gee said. “We really had some good ball movement and player movement, and that really impacted us.”

The chemistry between Longwood’s top three scorers and the combo guard-turned-point guard Thompson was on full display shortly after the start of the second half when Thompson played catalyst to a game-changing 25-9 run. Allen, Lane and Walton scored all 25 points during that span, while Thompson assisted on four consecutive baskets, including back-to-back treys from Allen and another from Lane, helping turn a tied ballgame into a 65-51 Longwood lead with 9:51 to play.

Dartmouth fought back with a 20-10 run during an eight-minute span that led into the final minute, but Walton hit a layup and all four free throws in the final 33 seconds to keep Longwood ahead.

“The best thing we did today was take care of the basketball,” Gee said. “Isaiah had a career low, one turnover. His tenacity, his ability to attack the rim really helped our team tonight. At the end of the day, we got stops when we needed them. Hats off to the guys. They found a way to get it done.”

The win pre-empts a monumental day in Farmville for the Lancers Saturday when Longwood plays host to JMU on the same day the home court in Willett Hall will be dedicated “Jerome Kersey Court” in honor of Longwood’s most prominent athletics alumnus. The dedication will take place just before the 5 p.m. tipoff and will feature a tribute to the Lancer legend, who played at Longwood from 1980-84 before embarking on a 17-year NBA career.