RADFORD, Va. - On Valentine's Day, the heart of VMI Basketball was beating strongly.

VMI shot 60 percent from beyond the arc to sink Radford men's basketball 67-54 Monday night in a Big South Conference game at the Dedmon Center.

The win was VMI's (7-16; 1-11 Big South) first in the Big South, snapping a 13-game League losing streak. It also marked the Keydets' first win in Radford since 1988-89. VMI, one loss from being locked into ninth place in the Big South standings and excluded from the Conference Tournament, staved off elimination with the win.

The Keydets, who were 0-15 from beyond the arc in the two teams' earlier meeting this season, drained 9-of-15, including 6-of-10 in the first half to maintain a comfortable lead on the Highlanders. Freshman Reggie Williams (Prince George, Va.) led all scorers with 25 points, including hitting 5-of-8 from 3-point land. He also dished out four assists, as did sophomore Matt Coward (Richmond, Va.), who tallied 11 points. VMI hit 57.1 of its shots from the field.

Senior Brandon Jeffers (Baltimore, Md.) paced the Highlanders with 15 points. Jeffers also snagged five rebounds. Senior Olumuyiwa Popoola (Gardena, Calif.) had 11 points and four steals and sophomore Reggie McIntyre (Piedmont, S.C.) finished with 10 points. Sophomore Chris Oliver's (Kernersville, N.C.) six rebounds led RU while junior Andre Bynum (Gastonia, N.C.) had four assists. The Highs forced 20 VMI turnovers and grabbed 17 offensive boards in the effort. RU shot 33.9 percent from the field, but only 7.1 percent from beyond the arc, hitting 1-of-14.

The Keydets opened the game with a 13-2 lead, scoring on three 3-pointers from Coward, Williams and freshman Sean Christiansen (Greenville, Pa.). Radford responded with a 12-3 run, sparked by a Jeffers' trey, pulling RU within three. Another run, this one 7-1 by VMI pushed the lead back to a comfortable margin, which the Keydets maintained into intermission, taking a 38-25 halftime lead.

Radford (10-13; 5-7 Big South) would get as close as seven in the second half, but with 3:33 remaining on a Coward lay-up, Oliver was called for goaltending and Popoola fouled the VMI point guard, turning RU's seven-point deficit into a 10-point hole. The Highlanders were unable to close the gap, scoring just five points for the remainder of the game.

Radford will host League-leading Winthrop Wednesday at 7:00 pm. The Keydets return home to play in-state rival Liberty at 7:00 pm on Thursday.