FARMVILLE, VA - Kris Lane's game-high 26 points and 14 rebounds paced the Longwood University Lancers past Salem International University 87-74 on Friday night (Nov. 18) in an exhibition match-up for the Tigers. Junior Saquan Epps scored a team-high 18 points for the Tigers.

The Tigers will stay on the road as they face West Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday, November 23 at 7 pm in Buckhannon, West Virginia. SIU will also participate in the St. Joseph's Tournament in Rensselaer, Indiana on November 25-26 before returning home to face Adelphi on Tuesday, November 29 at 4 pm in the T. Edward Davis Gymnasium.

Lane finished 12-for-15 from the floor with a pair of blocks to help the Lancers avoid a huge upset. Longwood had four players that scored in double figures on the night.

Epps connected on six of his eight shots in the game, including a 2-for-3 effort from three-point range. Two more Tigers would finish in double figures as freshman Jarius Farrow went 7-for-11 and 2-for-3 from the three-point line to finish with 17 points, while senior Victor Blakey recorded a double-double for the Tigers with 14 points and 10 assists. Blakey also recorded a team-high three steals.

The Tigers battled-back from a slow start in the first half to close the gap against the Lancers. SIU trailed by as many as 25 points on two separate occasions through the first 20 minutes. Salem would start to chip-away at the Lancers lead with 3:03 left in the first half as Epps drained a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 41-24. A three-pointer from Farrow with 2:34 remaining trimmed the gap to 41-29. With less than a minute remaining, the Tigers would get the final points of the half as Epps connected on two-more free throws to pull SIU within nine (45-36) heading into the locker room.

Senior Dominique Robinson scored the opening two points of the second half for SIU to cut the deficit to seven points. Longwood would quickly respond with a run that would stretch their lead to 14 points. Both teams would trade buckets throughout the middle-portion of the half, allowing the Lancers to hold onto their double-digit lead. The Tigers and Lancers would also get into foul troubles in the second half with Longwood going to the charity stripe 16 times.

Blakey would get the final two-points of the contest with his layup that brought the Tigers to within 13 points of Longwood. No points would be scored over the final 22 seconds of the contest as Longwood held onto the basketball and the 87-74 victory in the process.

Robinson tallied nine points (3-for-5) for the Tigers and recorded a team-high three blocks. SIU finished the game 25-for-56 from the floor, 9-for-22 from three-point range, and 15-for-23 at the charity stripe. Longwood went 31-for-64 as a team from the floor and 6-for-21 from three-point range, while hitting 19-of-25 free throws.

Darrion Allen recorded 16 points for Longwood, making 4-of-8 three-pointers. Isaiah Walton tallied 12 points for the Lancers and dished out a team-high seven assists.