COLUMBUS, Ohio- Princeton freshman Lincoln Gunn's three-pointer with 33 seconds remaining proved to be the death blow to VMI's chances Saturday afternoon, as the Keydets fell 73-68 to the Tigers in the sixth game of the SportsTime Ohio BCA Classic, held at the Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Trailing 62-44 with six minutes remaining in the contest, the Keydets (0-2) caught fire with an 18-2 run to cut the lead to two points with just under one minute to play. But Gunn's three-pointer with two seconds on the shot clock advanced the margin back to five for Princeton (1-1), a lead which VMI could not overcome.
Chavis Holmes, who contributed nine points on the late VMI rally, ended up with a career-high 29 points, with 24 of those coming in the second half. His game-high total represented one of three Keydet double-figure scorers, as Reggie Williams chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Matt Murrer added ten points, three blocks and three steals to the VMI cause.
The game's opening minutes were a back-and-forth affair, before Princeton charged out to a 17-10 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the first half. The Keydets fought back to take the lead at 22-21 at the five minute mark of the opening period, the first of several mini-runs for the Keydets on the day.
But the Tigers responded to close out the half on a 12-2 run, with Nick Savage providing the final six points of the half to take a 33-24 advantage into halftime. In the opening half, the Keydets shot only 35% from the field and 9% from beyond the arc, compared to 50% from the floor and 36% from distance for the Tigers.
The Keydets shooting woes would continue into the second period, as three-and-a-half minutes wound off the clock before VMI got on the second half scoreboard. That three-pointer from Chavis Holmes trimmed the lead to 12, and sparked an 11-2 rally that cut the Tiger advantage to six at 43-37 with 12:46 remaining the contest.
But again Princeton responded with a run of their own. A bucket by Mike Strittmatter was followed by a free throw and a jumper from Edwin Buffmire, while Kyle Koncz's three-pointer advanced the margin to 14 just three minutes later.
From there, it was the Chavis Holmes show, as he poured in 19 points in the game's final ten minutes. After the Keydets cut the margin to nine on a Holmes' layup, the Tigers tacked on seven straight to put the score at 62-44 with six minutes remaining.
The Keydets got the ball rolling with a three-pointer from Robinson, which was quickly followed by a layup by Buffmire. Over the next four minutes, VMI caused three turnovers, outrebounded the Tigers 6-2, and made 6-of-9 field goals to cut the lead to 64-62, setting the stage for Gunn's heroics.
Williams missed a jump shot the next time down the floor, which was rebounded by Princeton and converted into an easy layup by Conway to advance the lead to seven. Three-pointers by Chavis Holmes and Williams kept the Keydets within two possessions, but no closer as the final horn rang with the tally 73-68.
In the second period, the Keydets shot 54% from the field and 50% from the three-point line, making seven of 14 attempts. Sinking 90% of their free throws were another important factor in the comeback, leaving the team's percentage at 82% for the contest. For the game, VMI shot 44% from the field and 32% from the arc.
The Tigers held a 37-24 advantage on the boards, including a 14-6 mark on the offensive end. They shot 46% from the field, 39% from three, but only 62% from the charity stripe in the game.
The Keydets return to action on Sunday, as they take on South Dakota State in the seventh-place game in the BCA Classic. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 Noon.
