LEXINGTON, Va. - Jason Conley tallied 24 points and led four Keydets in double figures scoring as VMI ran past Eastern Mennonite University, 100-57, in college basketball action Saturday night at Cameron Hall.
The 43-point win was VMI's largest margin of victory since a 47-point victory over Warren Wilson (85-38) on November 20, 1999. It also marked the first time VMI hit the century mark in scoring in a game since a 113-59 win over Lynchburg College on Dec. 20, 1997.
Joining Conley in double-figures scoring was Ben Rand (19), Levar Joseph (15), and Radee Skipworth (11).
Mike Culen led EMU with 17 points and E.J. Arrington added 12 points for the Royals, who fell to 2-6.
The Keydets (4-3) used a 15-0 run in the first half to blow open the game, capping the spurt on a Skipworth layup to make it 34-15 with 5:47 left in the first half. EMU went scoreless exactly seven minutes in the first half as VMI built up a 46-24 lead at the break.
The Royals never threatened in the second half. VMI's lead grew to as much as 44 points (95-51) when Joseph hit a trey with 3:56 left.
Joseph, a freshman guard from St. James, La., scored all of his points in the second half. He missed his first five shots of the game, but then nailed three straight 3-ball's to finish four of nine beyond the arc.
Rand also did most of his damage in the second half, scoring 14 points and hitting four of five 3-point attempts. VMI finished the game with a season-high 12 treys.
The Keydets shot a season-high 59.4% (38-64) and outrebounded the Royals, 39-30. VMI forced their guests into 24 turnovers, and 11 of VMI's 13 players who saw action in the game scored.
VMI will break for exams and resume action next Friday night against Mary Washington at Cameron Hall at 7 p.m. Eastern Mennonite faces Randolph-Macon Monday night in Harrisonburg at 7:00 p.m.
HEAD COACH BART BELLAIRS - "The two good things I saw tonight was the intensity of our defense and the shooting of Levar Joseph. Ben Rand also shot the ball well and let the game come to him, but the thing we really wanted to do in the game was move the ball around the horn, and we had really good balance inside and outside. I was pleased with that. We started slow with our three-point shooting, but we can shoot those if we let them come to us. We're going to work hard but shorter over the exam period, and we're going to get after it again."
