#16 Terps Power Past Keydets, 99-68

Men's Basketball VMIKeydets.com

#16 Terps Power Past Keydets, 99-68

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The VMI basketball team faced its third straight opponent from the state of Maryland and its second ACC opponent of the year, as they squared off with the 16th ranked Maryland Terrapins at the Comcast Center in College Park, Md. The Terps showed their dominance as they led from start to finish, posting five players in double-figures while upending the Keydets 99-68 for their tenth win of the season and 28th straight non-conference home victory.

VMI (5-6) was led by Reggie Williams, who had 19 points and was one of three Keydets in double figures, joining Matt Murrer with 17 and Travis Holmes with 14. The Keydets matched a season high with 11 3-pointers, shooting 7 of 15 from beyond the arc in the second half.

D.J. Strawberry scored 16 points, Chris McCray added 15 and Maryland coasted to its fifth straight victory.

Nik Caner-Medley had 10 points and a team-high six assists for the Terrapins (10-2), who placed five players in double figures. Maryland scored the game's first 13 points and led 56-20 at halftime.

With Strawberry and McCray leading the way, the Terps peeled off runs of 13, 10 and 19 points in their most productive first half of the season. Maryland shot 65 percent (24-for-37) and held the Keydets to 8-for-29 shooting over the opening 20 minutes.

The Terrapins have won 28 consecutive non-conference home games, including seven this season.

Maryland took the lead for good when Strawberry made a short jumper off the opening tap. The junior guard had three baskets and McCray added a dunk and a 3-pointer in the opening 13-0 run.

Maryland made its first seven shots in going up 17-2. The Keydets, conversely, opened 1-for-9 with five turnovers before Williams sank a jumper and Matt Murrer hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 10.

It was 25-15 before Strawberry converted a drive, McCray made a layup and Caner-Medley scored twice in a 10-second span. Travis Garrison followed with a layup, capping a 10-0 run that put Maryland ahead by 20.

After Chavis Holmes interrupted the run with a layup, Strawberry hit a 3-pointer to start a string of 19 straight points that upped the margin to 37. Five players scored in the surge, including junior college transfer Parrish Brown, who connected twice from beyond the arc.

Not long after Maryland upped the lead to 40 points early in the second half, coach Gary Williams began to empty his bench. Brown finished with a season-high 13 points.

VMI opens Big South conference play next Thursday, Jan. 5th, at Cameron Hall at noon against Charleston Southern.

VMI Head Coach Duggar Baucom - "That was as poor a start as we got off to in the first five minutes. We were throwing it all over the place. I think we were down 10-0 before we got a shot off. We played like deer in the headlights at the start. We made shots in the second half, but we have to play better than that coming up in conference play. Thank goodness we made some shots in the second half. I felt Matt Murrer played a good game, he was really the only one who didn't back down. Reggie Williams had 19, but he had to take a lot of shots to get it."
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