VMI sophomore Taeshaud Jackson II recorded his seventh double-double of the season and 12th of his career, but the Keydets fell by a 90-69 score to host Mercer Saturday afternoon.
The Denver native finished the game with 15 points to go with a season-high 15 rebounds – one short of his career high. He also finished with two steals, one trey and went 6-8 from the charity stripe.
Three other Keydets finished in double figures, including freshman AJ Clark, who recorded season highs in both points (13) and rebounds (6). Clark also went a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
VMI (4-19, 1-9 SoCon) led early in the opening half, but Mercer (10-13, 3-7 SoCon) caught fire and gradually built a 49-38 advantage by halftime. The Bears increased their lead to 20 points early in the second half, 61-41, to force a VMI timeout before the first media break.
The Keydets stayed the course and eventually cut the deficit to 10, 78-68, with 5:15 to play after a pair of Jackson free throws.