VMI knocks off W&M in BracketBusters
VMI basketball head coach Duggar Baucom logged his 100th win at Virginia Military Institute on Saturday afternoon as the Keydets defeated state rival William & Mary 73-65 as part of the 2012 Sears Bracketbusters.
In the 116th meeting of the Keydets and Tribe, VMI prevailed thanks in part to key play from the bench, which put up over a third of VMI’s points with 25. The bench effort was led by Michael Sparks, who finished tied for the game’s second-most points with 15.
VMI (13-14) improved to 11-1 at home this season. Continue reading “VMI knocks off W&M in BracketBusters” »
VMI rally falls short at Liberty
Stan Okoye returned from injury to post 21 points and 12 rebounds, but a second half rally by VMI fell short in the waning moments as the Liberty Flames defeated the Keydets, 78-69, in Big South basketball action Tuesday night in Lynchburg, Va.
The Keydets (12-14, 7-9 Big South) trailed by as many as 17 in the opening half, but VMI fought its way back after halftime. Down by 15 at intermission, and with 17:51 to play, the Keydets drew within single digits with 15:17 remaining after a Jordan Weethee three-pointer. From there, the lead was gradually cut down, piece by piece, until a thunderous Okoye dunk with 3:04 remaining made it a 69-66 game. Continue reading “VMI rally falls short at Liberty” »
Gardner-Webb 77, VMI 61
Keydet freshman Brian Brown had a career-high 15 points, but the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs broke open a close game with a 30-2 run and went on to defeat VMI, 77-61, in Big South basketball action Saturday night in Boiling Springs, N.C.
With the Keydets (12-13, 7-8 Big South) leading 22-14 with seven minutes to play in the first half, Gardner-Webb (11-16, 6-9) went on an 11-0 run to take a three-point lead, 25-22, with just over two minutes left in the half. Keith Gabriel answered with a basket, but VMI would not score again until the 16:09 mark of the second half, a span of 6:09 of game action. The Runnin’ Bulldogs, meanwhile, outscored VMI 19-0 during that stretch, en route to a 20-point cushion that they would not reliquish. Continue reading “Gardner-Webb 77, VMI 61” »
VMI comes up short at UNC Asheville, 89-86
Matt Dickey had 26 points to lead the UNC Asheville Bulldogs, and the VMI Keydets could not take advantage of several key opportunities in the final minute as UNC Asheville prevailed over VMI, 89-86, in Big South basketball action Thursday night at Cameron Hall.
With 28 seconds remaining, Dickey hit two free throws to put Asheville (17-7, 12-1 Big South) ahead by four points, 88-84. Ron Burks then drove the length of the court and scored with 19 seconds to go, cutting it to a two-point margin. On the ensuing inbounds pass, Chris Stephenson was whistled for a foul on Michael Sparks, setting up two crucial free throws for VMI (11-6, 6-6). Continue reading “VMI comes up short at UNC Asheville, 89-86” »
VMI wins at Radford, 65-60
Stan Okoye had 23 points and nine rebounds, helping the VMI Keydets earn their first road win of the season in downing the Radford Highlanders, 65-60, in Big South basketball action Thursday night at the Dedmon Center in Radford, Va.
Okoye posted 14 of his 23 points in the second half, which saw VMI (11-10, 6-5 Big South) launch a 15-1 run on a Rodney Glasgow jumper with 15:28 remaining. That spurt turned a 35-32 Highlander (4-19, 1-10) lead into a 47-36 Keydet advantage, and VMI would not trail again. Continue reading “VMI wins at Radford, 65-60” »
Campbell 80, VMI 73
Despite 33 points from Keith Gabriel and a career-best 18 rebounds from Stan Okoye, the Campbell Camels defeated the VMI Keydets, 80-73, in Big South basketball action Saturday at Gore Arena in Buies Creek, N.C.
After Campbell (14-8, 8-2 Big South) had pulled out to a nine-point lead early in the second half, the Keydets (10-10, 5-5) shot their way back into the contest, closing to within 45-42 after a pair of Michael Sparks free throws with 14:58 to go. Unfortunately for VMI, Eric Griffin had a dunk on the ensuing possession, pushing the lead back to five, and the Keydets could get no closer than four the rest of the way.
Gabriel’s 33 points were one shy of his career high, which he last accomplished in December at Old Dominion, while Okoye’s 18 rebounds were three more than he had at Marshall last season. Gabriel also matched his career-high with eight boards. Continue reading “Campbell 80, VMI 73” »
VMI catches fire, knocks off High Point, 88-77
Overcoming a slow start, the VMI basketball team caught fire late in the first half and never looked back as the Keydets upended Big South Conference opponent High Point University 88-77 Thursday night at Cameron Hall.
Behind Keith Gabriel’s 29 points, the Keydets improved to 10-9 overall and 5-4 in the league. The win helped the Keydets get through a three-game homestand unscathed and improved to 9-0 within the friendly confines of Cameron Hall.
Since the end of the 2010-11 season, the Keydets have run off 13 straight victories at home, tying the program’s second-best mark. On two previous occasions, VMI has won 13-straight home games. Continue reading “VMI catches fire, knocks off High Point, 88-77” »
VMI holds off late Radford rally, wins 80-76
Keith Gabriel had 28 points and matched his career-high with eight rebounds, and the VMI Keydets survived a furious rally by the Radford Highlanders to pull out an 80-76 victory in Big South basketball action Saturday night at Cameron Hall.
The win maintains VMI’s perfect home record, now 8-0, and marks the Keydets’ 12th consecutive victory at Cameron Hall.
Of Gabriel’s 28, 20 came in the second half as he hit on 4 of 5 three-point attempts of the final 20 minutes. That included three treys in a key four-possession sequence early in the second half, a run that gave VMI (9-9, 4-4 Big South) its first double-digit lead of the night. The Keydets maintained their advantage for the remainder of the contest, but Radford (3-16, 0-7) would not quit. Continue reading “VMI holds off late Radford rally, wins 80-76” »
VMI clamps down on Liberty, 71-57
Stan Okoye had 18 points, 16 in the second half, and the VMI Keydets held the Liberty Flames to the lowest point total for an opponent in over three years as VMI defeated Liberty, 71-57, in Big South basketball action Tuesday night at Cameron Hall.
Okoye did not start Tuesday’s contest, but his VMI (8-9, 3-4 Big South) teammates picked him up with a strong defensive effort, holding Liberty (5-13, 0-6) to just 24 points in the first half.
The junior’s 16 second half points fueled his team’s 55.2% shooting (16 for 29) in that period, and the strong defensive effort continued as well, as the Keydets held the Flames’ Jesse Sanders, last year’s Big South Player of the Year, to a season-low three points and season-low equaling three assists en route to pulling away for the win. Continue reading “VMI clamps down on Liberty, 71-57” »
VMI rally falls short at Winthrop, 91-84
Keith Gabriel had 26 points, but Andre Jones notched 27 of his own and Reggie Middleton posted a double-double, helping the Winthrop Eagles survive a late VMI rally and prevail, 91-84, over the Keydets in Big South basketball action Saturday in Rock Hill, S.C.
After VMI (7-9, 2-4 Big South) took a 32-23 lead with 5:56 left in the first half, the Eagles (6-10, 3-2) closed the period on a 13-5 run, climbing within one at the break. The home team then took the advantage early in the second half and held it for the final 18:11, leading by as many as 10 before VMI closed the game well, cutting its deficit to five points twice in the final minute. Continue reading “VMI rally falls short at Winthrop, 91-84” »
VMI falls on the road at Asheville
Stan Okoye posted 23 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, but the UNC Asheville Bulldogs tallied five players in double figures en route to a 94-85 win over the VMI Keydets in Big South basketball action Thursday night in Asheville, N.C.
After trailing throughout the first half, VMI (7-8, 2-3 Big South) cut its deficit to four, 49-45, on a three-point play by Okoye with 17:43 to play. From there, Asheville (9-6, 4-0) went on an 18-8 run to increase its lead to 14, and the Keydets could not get closer than eight points the rest of the way.
In addition to Okoye, VMI saw Keith Gabriel post 20 points, as he moved into 10th place on the Institute’s all-time scoring list, surpassing Radee Skipworth ’05. Michael Sparks also had a strong night, tying a season-high with 19 points, while Rodney Glasgow added 10 markers and chipped in five assists.
The Keydets also held a 37-32 edge on the glass and scored 49 bench points, the sixth time in seven games they had seen at least 40 points from their reserves, but VMI turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 26 Bulldog points in the loss.
Asheville’s double figure scorers were led by Matt Dickey, who notched 23 points, while J.P. Primm added 21 and seven assists.
VMI knocks off Gardner-Webb, 76-72
Stan Okoye had 25 points and seven rebounds, and Ron Burks capped a 19-point night with a driving layup with 40 seconds to go, helping the VMI Keydets defeat the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs, 76-72, in Big South basketball action Monday night at VMI’s Cameron Hall.
After Okoye hit a jumper with 2:13 to go, giving the Keydets (7-7, 2-2) a three-point lead, GWU’s (7-9, 2-2) Tashan Newsome hit two free throws to cut the margin to one. After an exchange of missed three-pointers, Burks picked up a loose ball on the left side of the paint, drove to his right and hit a driving layup with his right hand with 43 seconds remaining, giving VMI a 75-72 cushion.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs’ Kevin Hartley then missed a three-pointer, but Burks missed the front end of a one-and-one to give the visitors another shot. Newsome misfired, however, and Okoye rebounded and split two free throws to ice the Keydets’ second straight conference win. Continue reading “VMI knocks off Gardner-Webb, 76-72” »
