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. Read more
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. Read more
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. Read more
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). Read more
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. Read more
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. Read more
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. Read more
