LEXINGTON, Va. - Elton Brown and Derrick Byers each scored 14 points and Donte Minter added 13 as Virginia defeated VMI, 78-56 Friday night at Cameron Hall. Virginia moved to 5-0 on the season while the Keydets dropped to 1-4.
Cameron Hall turned 22 years old Friday night. Unfortunately for VMI fans, the game played this year resembled the one played back in 1981, when UVA defeated VMI, 76-49, in the first game played in the facility.
Radee Skipworth paced VMI in scoring with 16 points, but was the only Keydet in double figures scoring. VMI shot 33% for the game (22-66) and could not overcome a 25% shooting clip in the first half.
VMI hung tough over the first nine minutes of the game, which saw two ties and two lead changes, the last coming on a Fred Robinson 3-pointer that tied the game at 11-11 with 11:42 left in the opening half.
But the Cavaliers, pounding the ball inside after Tim Allmond picked up his second foul with 11:18 left, outscored the Keydets 29-8 the rest of the frame and took a 40-19 halftime lead. The Cavs went to the stripe 14 times in the first half and converted nine free throws. Brown scored nine of his 14 points in the first half.
The Keydets meanwhile, went cold late in the first half and managed just one point, a Richard Little free throw, over the last 7:07 of the first half. UVA held a 32-13 advantage on the boards at halftime and had 18 second chance points.
The Keydets were only outscored by UVA in the second half, 38-37, but could not mount a sustained scoring run. VMI cut the margin to 19, (42-23) when Skipworth converted a layup at the 18:16 mark, but the Cav lead never dipped below 20 points after Brown converted a pair of free throws 20 seconds later.
Virginia's biggest lead was 31 points (70-39) when Donte Minter hit one of two free throws.
VMI senior point guard Richard Little had six assists and moved within 13 of the #1 spot on the school list held by Mike Huffman (1983-86). Little now has 461 career assists.
VMI travels to Blacksburg, Va. Wednesday to face Virginia Tech at 7:00 p.m. Virginia will break for exams and face James Madison on Dec. 16 in Charlottesville at 7:30 p.m.
VMI Head Coach Bart Bellairs - "We thought we had a chance when they weren't shooting that well from the three, but their guards got a lot of rebounds and we didn't block out. We're a little bit smaller than they are, but you got to put a body on people, and even if you give up some of that, you have to have more composure on offense. I thought we were really quick on the trigger and we threw it up there there like a hot potato. But we'll learn a lot from it. Tim Allmond has really developed into a force inside and we have to give him looks inside, but he's got to keep himself in the game. We're a military school and we need to have discipline."
