Rodney Glasgow put back his own miss with 0.6 seconds left in overtime, sending his VMI Keydets to a thrilling 82-80 win over the High Point Panthers in Big South action Wednesday night at Cameron Hall in Lexington, Va.
After High Point had taken a two-point lead on two John Brown free throws with 1:38 left in overtime, the teams exchanged turnovers to give VMI (10-8, 3-2 Big South) the ball back with under a minute left. QJ Peterson missed a three off the back iron, but DJ Covington soared in for the putback dunk to tie the score, 80-80.
HPU (6-12, 2-3 BSC) point guard Adam Weary was whistled for a traveling violation, setting up a potential game-deciding possession for the Keydets. Glasgow drove down the lane and missed a floater, but got his own rebound and, after a pump fake in the lane, hit a putback to give the Keydets the lead for good. Time expired, but officials put 0.6 seconds back on the clock. High Point attempted a full-court pass, but to no avail as the ball was tipped away and the Keydets claimed the victory.
In the triumph, VMI was paced by Peterson’s 25 points which included 22 markers after halftime, helping his team rally from a 12-point first half deficit. The Keydets are now 10-1 when Peterson scores at least 19 points in a game, and on this night, Glasgow chipped in 18 points and five assists.
The contest did not start well for the home team, as HPU sprinted out to a 20-8 lead after a Devante Wallace triple with 8:48 on the clock. VMI then rallied, scoring 12 of the next 18 points to cut the margin to six, but moments later, High Point started an 8-2 run that pushed the lead back to 12, 34-22.
The Keydets responded once again, however, closing the half on a 6-2 push that was all Jordan Weethee, thanks to two triples that sent the game to halftime at 36-28, HPU.
The home team trailed by just eight despite a first half that saw Peterson attempt just one field goal for two points, and VMI have just one free throw attempt in the opening 20 minutes. Weethee’s 11 points were a key factor in keeping the Keydets in a game that saw HPU go 6 for 9 from three-point range in the first half.
The Keydets came roaring out of the locker room in the second half, as an immediate 10-2 run was capped by a Covington dunk at17:24 that gave VMI its first lead since 2-0, 40-38. From there, the game turned into a battle.
Neither team would lead by more than three points until Brown converted a basket with 2:27 left, making it a five-point HPU lead at 73-68.
Peterson scored to cut the lead to three, 73-70, on VMI’s next possession and after a High Point turnover, VMI got the ball back with under a minute left.
The ensuing trip down the floor may have been the game’s most important, as after a Glasgow missed layup, the ball caromed out to Peterson just inside the three-point line. The freshman stepped back and drew contact on a three-point try, earning three attempts at the line. He converted all three to tie the game once again, 73-73.
Weary answered with a slicing layup in the lane, but two free throws by Covington tied it with nine seconds left, giving High Point one final try. Wallace got the ball on the left wing with two seconds left, but missed a fadeaway as time expired to send the game to overtime. In the extra frame, an early Peterson three gave VMI a 78-75 lead, but HPU scored the next five points to set the stage for Glasgow’s eventual dramatics.
The win was VMI’s first overtime victory since Dec. 31, 2011, a win against Presbyterian College, and was the first time VMI had played back to back overtime games since Feb. of 2009. The Keydets took full advantage of a 25-9 edge in second chance points and a 19-2 advantage in bench points, although neither team’s reserves scored for the final 14:05 of action.
High Point was paced by Big South Preseason Player of the Year Brown, who had an impressive night with a game-high 28 points, nine rebounds and four assists. The Panthers finished the game 34 of 64 from the floor (53.1%) and 7 of 12 (58.3%) from three-point range, while VMI was 31 of 74 (41.9%) and 10 of 31 from long range (32.3%). Of note was the fact that VMI went 9 of 11 at the foul line after halftime, while High Point made just three free throws during that time.
VMI basketball will return to action Saturday, taking on the Winthrop Eagles at 4 p.m. in Rock Hill, S.C. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.com.
Quotes – VMI Head Coach Duggar Baucom
“I told the guys that the basketball gods rewarded guys who worked hard. For the practices after the Campbell game, we got after itMonday and Tuesday. We worked very hard and it paid off.”
“We started very flat and I was real disappointed. We got a little spark, but we still didn’t get over the hump. Jordan Weethee hit a three to cut it to eight right before the half. In the first four minutes of the second half, we came out like gangbusters. Weary for them did a great job of getting to the rim and John Brown, enough said about him. 28 and 9 – he’s a beast and we tried to put different people on him.”
“I was just so pleased how we scored and got it to be where we needed to get it into overtime. Rodney’s shot was huge and we got rewarded with the second chance.”
“QJ played like he was capable in the second half. We just had too many turnovers in the first half and couldn’t get in the flow. Just uncharacteristic stuff, but I was so pleased how we responded at the free throw line.”
“Phillip Anglade played great again. He just gives us tremendous energy and guards and had eight rebounds.”