BLACKSBURG, Va. - Forward Bryant Matthews scored a career-high 26 points to lead Virginia Tech past VMI, 71-66, in college basketball Thursday night at Cassell Coliseum.
Virginia Tech never trailed in the contest, but twice saw 13-point leads evaporate when the Keydets raillied. The game was ultimately decided at the free throw line when the Hokies hit 10 of 12 from the charity stripe over the final 1:17 to put the game away.
Junior guard Richard Little scored 17 points which tied his career high set previously against Howard University on December 2, 2000. Little was seven of 15 from the field and hit three 3-pointers that helped key VMI rallies. He also had seven assists.
Sophomore Jason Conley was held to 17 points, which matched his career-low set against Eastern Mennonite last year. The nation's leading scorer was six of 17 from the field including two of seven beyond the arc. Conley led the Keydets with eight rebounds.
Junior Radee Skipworth, playing through a deep-thigh bruise injury sustained in preseason, finished with 13 points, but was not credited with a rebound in the contest.
Tech center Terry Taylor and forward Dimari Thompkins each had 10 points for the Hokies (4-2).
The Hokies led 23-10 with 8:22 left in the opening half when Terry Talor hit a pair of free throws, but the Keydets answered with a 15-3 run including nine straight points to pull within one (26-25) when Little hit a jumper with 2:53 left in the half.
Tech answered with an 8-2 spurt and went to the locker room with a 34-27 advantage.
The Hokies again led by 13 in the second half when a Matthews 3-pointer made it 51-38 with 11:27 left, but the Keydets chipped away and pulled with six (51-45) when Conley nailed a three-pointer from the right corner with 9:01 left - capping a 7-0 run.
VMI cut the lead to four twice in the final :22 seconds, but the Hokies, who had made just three of their first 14 free throws in the contest, were keeping distance with their sharp foul shooting down the stretch.
Matthews finished the game 10 of 15 from the field and connected on five of seven 3-pointers. The Hokies shot 54.3% from the field.
VMI was 45.6% from the floor, but struggled from long range going six of 25 from three-point territory, and was eight of 14 from the free throw line.
Freshman center Tadas Mankevicius scored a career-high eight points and grabbed four rebounds for the Keydets.
Senior forward Zach Batte did not start for the first time this season after interviewing for a Rhodes Scholarship in his home state of Idaho earlier in the week. He rejoined the team just hours before the contest. Sophomore Tim Allmond started in Batte's slot.
The Keydets return home Saturday to face UVA-Wise at 1:00 at Cameron Hall.
HEAD COACH BART BELLAIRS - "We played the way we had to keep it close in the end and we fouled the right guys but they made their shots and that's what happens in close games. Our effort was fantastic, but we came down to win. We took their best shot. When you lose (Tech) a game to Wofford where Wofford played a great game, we knew Tech was going to be fired up, and for our guys to match their intensity level was huge. As you look back, there were a few little things that if we had done.you have to do those things to win close games. But I was very proud of our team and we'll build on this. We knew that they would fly at our shooters."
