Keydets fall in Big South opener
After VMI’s Keith Gabriel sent the game to overtime with two late free throws, the Winthrop Eagles scored the first six points of the extra frame and went on to defeat the VMI Keydets 88-82 in the Big South opener for both teams Thursday night at Cameron Hall in Lexington.
With Winthrop up by one with 33 seconds to go, WU’s Reggie Middleton hit a pair of free throws to put the visitors up three, 73-70. Austin Kenon converted a lay-up at the other end, and after Middleton split a pair of tries for the Eagles, Gabriel was fouled going to the basket. With 4.8 seconds showing on the clock, Gabriel drilled the two foul shots to tie the contest.
Middleton had a desperation try for the Eagles at the buzzer, but it hit the backboard, the left inside portion of the rim and then bounced out to send the contest to extra time. It was the first overtime game at Cameron Hall since Feb. 2, 2009.
In the five minute overtime frame, Winthrop (4-3, 1-0) scored the first six points to take an 80-74 advantage. Rodney Glasgow hit a three-pointer for VMI to cut it to three, and VMI got back within two when Michael Sparks split a pair from the charity stripe with 1:52 left. The Keydets got a steal on the following possession, but turned the ball over and would not be able to cut it to a one possession game again, as Winthrop went 4 for 4 at the foul line to seal the win.
In defeat, the Keydets (6-2, 0-1) were led by Austin Kenon, who had a game-high 29 points. That total included 10 of 11 from the foul line, as the Keydets hit 82.4% (28 of 34) from the charity stripe. Glasgow added 17 and Stan Okoye chipped in 13. VMI suffered its first home loss of the season, after starting the campaign 5-0 at Cameron Hall. The teams put on a free-throw shooting clinic late, as they combined to miss just six of 45 free throws in the second half and overtime.
The Eagles were led by Robbie Dreher with 28 points and Andre Jones with 21.
The first half was close throughout, as the Keydets jumped out to the early 4-2 lead after a jumper by Gabriel two minutes in. Winthrop responded with a pair of foul shots on its next possession, and 1:49 of action with no scoring ensued. That run was broken when the Eagles took the lead, 7-4, thanks to a three-pointer by Dreher at the 16:07 mark.
Winthrop would hold the lead for the next nine minutes, but could only get out to a six-point margin, which the Eagles attained on a Joab Jerome jumper with 9:49 left in the half, 20-14. VMI battled back with an 8-0 run, tying the game 2:20 later on a pair of Okoye free throws and retaking the lead on a Glasgow jumper at the 5:29 mark, 22-20.
Winthrop responded with five unanswered points, but the Keydets continued the see-saw affair, tying the game on an Kenon three-pointer, 25-25. Dreher nailed two free throws for Winthrop, but Kenon hit two of his own on the other end to tie it once again, 27-27.
That pair from the charity stripe started the Keydets on a 9-1 run to close the half, a spurt that included five straight points from Kenon, and VMI took a 34-28 lead into the locker room.
Kenon led the home team with 14 points in the opening session, while Glasgow had five steals and D.J. Covington had three blocks, including rejections on back-to-back possessions early in the game. In addition, the teams combined for 23 turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
The Keydets held the lead for the first 13-plus minutes of the second half, stretching it out as far as a nine-point advantage, but Winthrop chipped away and would retake the lead with 6:13 to go, 62-61 on a Dreher basket. VMI got the advantage right back, but could not hold a four-point advantage with 5:14 left.
Jones tied the game with a hoop with 1:53 to go, and Dreher scored to give the Eagles the lead with 1:27 to go. Jones then added another free throw before Kenon hit a pair of his own, setting the stage for the regulation-ending sequence and overtime.
In other statistics, Winthrop held a 50-42 lead on the boards, including 14-9 on the offensive glass, but the Keydets held their own in the paint. The Eagles held a 34-28 lead in that stat, during a game that saw eight ties and seven lead changes. The Keydets forced 19 turnovers, but had 21 of their own, including 12 in the second half and overtime to only five for Winthrop.
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