The Charleston Southern Buccaneers broke open a three-point game with an 11-1 run in the final minutes and went on to earn a 101-90 victory over the VMI Keydets in a Big South matchup Thursday night in N. Charleston, S.C.
CSU (13-11, 7-5 BSC) led for the entire second half but not without a challenge from the Keydets. Bucs held a lead as much as 15 points early in the second half and still had a 13-point cushion with 8:05 to go. VMI (12-10, 5-7 BSC) then scored the game’s next nine points, cutting the margin to four, and the Keydets then chopped the CSU lead to three on two occasions. The last of those came with 3:51 remaining on a Ron Burks put-back, but after a media timeout 30 seconds later, Kelvin Martin hit the first of two free throws to start the game-deciding run.
On the night, the Keydets posted four players in double figures, led by Austin Kenon’s 30 points and Rodney Glasgow’s 19 markers. VMI shot 53.3% from the floor and 16 of 26 (61.5%) from three-point range, but Charleston Southern hit 39 of 63 shots from the floor, en route to moving to 10-0 at home at CSU Field House with the lone “home” loss on the ledger coming to College of Charleston at nearby North Charleston Coliseum earlier in the year.
Senior guard Jamarcco Warren, who averaged nearly 19 points against VMI in pevious encounters, led Charleston Southern with 33 points on 13-of-20 shooting including five 3-point goals.
The Bucs proved to be equally as sharp as VMI from 3-point range and built a 55-48 halftime advantage-thanks in part to 7-of-9 shooting beyond the arc. From the field, CSU hit at an astonishing 71.9% clip (23-of-32) from the field in the first half. But the Bucs had only a single-digit lead at the break as the Keydets also drained 8-of-13 three-pointers in the first half for 61.5%. Glasgow led the way with four treys before intermission and finished with a career-high six 3-point goals in eight attempts.
CSU repelled each VMI second half rally with a flurry of points. After Glasgow nailed a pullup 3-pointer from the top of the lane to pull the Keydets within 72-68, Martin converted a layup on the next possession and the Bucs made it a 5-0 spurt when Sexton followed with a three-ball to put the host up, 77-68 with 10:19 to go.
Junior forward Michael Sparks brought VMI back within four points with a win 3-pointer to cut the margin to 83-79, but again the Bucs had the answer. Warren rifled in a triple and Martin converted a pair of free throws to again produce a five-point spell that held VMI in check.
The Burks tip-in with 3:51 brought the Keydets the closest they would get in the second half. But the decisive 11-1 counterstrike began with Martin sinking one-of-two from the line and finished when Chris Grier knocked home two free throws with :29 left in the regulation. In between, VMI missed two shots and committed two turnovers and managed just a free throw by Glasgow at the 1:54 mark.
Charleston Southern finished the game outscoring VMI 54-28 in the paint and a 14-4 count in second chance points.
VMI fell for the first time this season in a game where it shot over 50% from the floor.
Share
Contributors
