BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Birmingham-Southern posted four players in double figures and connected on 14 three-pointers to lift them to a 75-53 victory over the Keydets at the Bill Battle Coliseum. Dwayne Paul led the charge for the Panthers with 15 points, and James Collins added 14 on 4-9 shooting from the three-point line as Birmingham-Southern extended its home winning streak to 11 straight games, including seven straight this season.
Reggie Williams posted his fifth career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Keydets, the 14th game this season he has led the team in scoring. Williams started the game as the nation's 18th highest scorer. Matt Murrer scored 13 on 5-5 shooting, and grabbed six rebounds in the loss.
Win the win, Birmingham-Southern improves to 11-5, and 4-1 in the Big South. The Keydets fall to 7-9, and 2-3 in conference play. The contest was also the fifth meeting between the two schools, with the Panthers winning all five.
The Panthers opened the game connecting on two straight three-pointers by Ed Horton, in what would become a common theme for the remainder of the contest.
Williams cut the Panther lead to two after knocking down a free throw with just over eight minutes remaining in the first half, but it was as close as the Keydets would get. The Panthers went on a 21-11 run to end the half, and went in to the locker room with a 42-30 lead.
Despite being down, the Keydets shot the ball well in the first half, connecting on 13-24 shots for 54.2%. And while the Panthers were limited to just 14 field goals in the half, they hit 10-24 from the three-point line.
The Panthers continued their three-point barrage in the second half, and stretched the lead to 27 after a Thomas Viglianco three at the 8:55 mark.
The Keydets chipped away at the lead, outscoring the Panthers 15-6 in the final eight minutes, but were unable to overcome the large deficit.
For the game, the Keydets committed 16 turnovers, and the Panthers took advantage by scoring 21 points off those turnovers. The Panthers also hoisted up 40 three-pointers, and connected on 14 of them (35%), while the Keydets connected on 5-16 (31.3%) from behind the arc.
The Keydets cooled down in the second half to shoot 38.2% (21-55) from the field in the game, while the Panthers shot 40.3% (25-62). The Panthers had the rebounding edge in the game (39-36), and converted on 14 second-chance points to the Keydets four.
VMI assistant coach
Daniel Willis once again handled the VMI sidelines as head coach Duggar Baucom continues to recuperate from a medical procedure.
Senior center Tadas Mankevicius missed his fourth straight game with a foot injury.
Murrer continued his hot shooting for VMI, hitting all five of his shots and finishing with 13 points. Heading into the game, Murrer was second in the nation shooting 69% from the field. The freshman duo of Travis and Chavis Holmes also added 9 and 8 points, respectively, in the contest.
VMI resumes its road trip on Saturday, January 21 as they travel to Asheville, N.C. to face the UNC Asheville Bulldogs (3-12, 1-4). Tip off is slated for 4:30 p.m. The Panthers travel to Lynchburg, Va. to face the Liberty Flames (4-11, 1-2) in conference play.
