UNC Asheville forward Billy Allen scored 17 points, including 15 in the second half, to help the Bulldogs hold off VMI and post a 61-48 win over the Keydets Saturday afternoon at the Justice Center in Asheville, N.C.
It was the Big South opener for both teams and the first league game for VMI, which moved to the BSC this season after a 79-year run in the Southern Conference.
VMI senior forward Radee Skipworth, who missed five games with a sprained ankle, returned to starting lineup and led all scorers with 20 points.
The Keydets trailed 47-36 with 9:53 left following a pair of Allen free throws that capped a 12-2 UNCA run over six minutes, but VMI responded with a 7-0 spurt to cut the lead to four points. Tadas Mankevicius hit a layup with 6:32 left to slice the deficit to 47-43.
VMI then lost steam by missing its next six shots from the floor. The Bulldogs outscored the Keydets, 14-5 over the last 6:04 and converted eight of nine free throws in that stretch run. Allen hit six foul shots during that span and nailed 11 of 12 from the stripe for the game. UNCA sank 18 of 20 free throws for the afternoon.
For the fifth time this season, VMI produced just one double figures scorer (Skipworth, 20).
The Keydets shot 44.4% in the first half, but cooled down to 28.0% in the second half to finish 36.5% from the floor. VMI held UNCA to 43.5% from the field.
The Bulldogs, employing a 2-3 zone for much of the second half, outrebounded the Keydets 38-24 for the contest. Allen led the way with nine boards. Tadas Mankevicius, making his second start for the injured Tim Allmond (sprained ankle), led VMI with seven rebounds.
VMI trailed 27-26 at halftime, but held two brief one-point advantages in the second half - the latest when Skipworth rammed in a three-pointer to make it 31-30 at the 17:52 mark.
Keydet point guard Richard Little dished out a season-high 11 assists including eight in the first half.
After a three-game road swing, VMI returns home to face Radford Thursday night, Jan. 8. Tipoff at Cameron Hall will be 7:00. UNCA hosts Birmingham-Southern Monday at 7:00 p.m.
VMI Coach Bart Bellairs - "I think this was the first time our opponent had more turnovers, but there were 3 or 4 when we were right in crunch time. We just need to back it out offensively and not force. We've got to relax a little bit more offensively. Again, I think our defense was good enough to win. Our shooting is still not there. It was great to have Radee back and he showed some good signs."
VMI forward Radee Skipworth "It felt good to be back out there. I think the injury (sprained ankle) inhibited my movement a little bit, but it's just going to have to be something I'll work through as the season goes on. I'm just going to have to suck it up and keep up my treatments."
"We showed today where we are right now. We're not as good as we are going to get. We have a lot of work to do. Toward the end of the game, we didn't have enough good possessions. I think we need to do a better job of clock management toward the end of the game, take care of the ball more, and we have to punch up are intensity in spots. They got more loose balls today."
UNC Asheville head coach Eddie Biedenbach "We played pretty good defense in the second half and really needed to because VMI is a well-coached team that plays good defense, too. Billy Allen did a good job getting to the basket and drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line."
"The final score is pretty misleading because it was close game most of the way. I like the way we executed down the stretch and won a close game. That's something we haven't done this year."
