Box Score
LEXINGTON, Va. - Junior guard Torrell Martin scored 26 points and keyed a pivotal second-half scoring run to lead Winthrop past VMI, 74-69, at Cameron Hall Monday night.
VMI trailed 59-56, following Travis Holmes' jumper with 5:58 left. But Martin keyed a 10-0 Winthrop run over the next two and a half minutes, draining a pair of treys and capping the spurt with a steal and dunk that gave the Eagles their biggest lead of the game, 71-58, with 2:12 left in regulation.
The Keydets scored the next six points to trim the deficit to 71-64 after Reggie Williams converted a layup with :52 remaining. VMI closed within three when Williams canned a leaning three-pointer with six seconds left to pull the Keydets within 72-69. Winthrop's Craig Bradshaw was fouled with four seconds left, and the 6-10 junior from New Zealand sank two free throws to put the game away and secure Winthrop's eighth league victory against one setback.
Martin hit 10-of-19 shots from the floor including five from 3-point distance to lead the Eagles. Bradshaw chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds for Winthrop.
Williams scored 21 points for his eight 20-point game of the season. Junior forward Matt Murrer turned in a 15-point, 15-rebound effort for his third double-double of the year. Freshman guard Dusty Plugner scored a season and career-high 12 points.
The Keydets were inspired by the return of their head coach Duggar Baucom, who had missed the previous seven games recuperating from a cardiac surgical procedure performed in early January.
VMI (7-12, 2-6 BSC) outshot the Eagles, 49.0% to 35.5%, but the Eagles held a 42-37 advantage on the boards including a 21-7 margin on the offensive glass.
The Eagles forced VMI into 25 turnovers and converted the miscues into 24 points. The Eagles also had a 15-5 advantage in second chance points.
Winthrop (14-5, 8-1 BSC) started both halves with scoring runs. The Eagles jumped to an 8-0 lead in the first half, and scored the first nine points of the second half following a 31-31 halftime score.
VMI has dropped four straight and plays Liberty in Lynchburg Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. and the game will be televised throughout the Mid-Atlantic on Comcast SportsNet. Winthrop travels to Conway, S.C. next Saturday to play Coastal Carolina.
