WEST POINT, N.Y.- An 8-0 run at the midway point of the second half gave Army the lead for good, as VMI dropped their third consecutive road contest by a 79-72 margin on Tuesday night at Christl Arena. With the loss, the Keydets fall to 3-5 on the season, while Army improves to 5-2 for the first time since the 1994-95 campaign.
The Black Knights got 24 points from junior guard Jarell Brown and 23 from freshman forward Chris Walker, while the Keydets were paced by career-high efforts in both points and rebounds from sophomore forward Willie Bell, who scored 14 and grabbed seven rebounds in the loss. He was one of four Keydets in double figures, as he was joined by Travis Holmes (12), Fred Robinson (11) and Carl Josey's career-high 10. Meanwhile, junior forward Reggie Williams, the nation's third-leading scorer, was limited to only nine points on 2-of-12 shooting, as he and Holmes combined to shoot 5-of-26 from the field.
"It was the same song, just a different verse," said VMI head coach Duggar Baucom. "It's a one-point game there, and I don't know, I really just don't have an explanation. I thought they out-toughed us, and they beat us to loose balls. It's frustrating, it's things that we can control. They had the big rebound when they needed to, and that's the mark of a good team and a tough team. They completely took Reggie Williams out of the game. We still were in a position to win and had opportunities, but when we needed to have a big shot, or when we needed a big rebound, it wasn't there."
The game went back and forth throughout the first half, as Army mounted a lead as large as eight at the 6:47 mark with the score 23-15. However, the Keydets answered with an 18-1 run over the next four minutes, sparked by three-pointers from Matt Murrer, Lucas Jones, Holmes and Bell. But the Black Knights responded with a 13-4 run to close out the half, leaving things square at 37 headed to the intermission.
It was the Keydets who were able to grab the lead in the early part of the second frame, as an 8-2 run was capped by another three-pointer from Bell to give VMI a 48-43 lead four minutes into the second half. However, the visitors from Lexington could not extend the lead to more than six the rest of the way, as Army clawed their way back into the contest with consistent play and sound free-throw shooting.
Army tied the game at 59 at the 9:47 mark on a layup by Walker, before four consecutive points from Reggie Williams gave VMI a two-possession cushion. From there, the Black Knights used a three-point play by Matt Bell, a layup by Corban Bates, a jumper by Jarell Brown and a free throw by Cory Sinning to claim a 67-63 lead that they would not relinquish, as they hit eight consecutive free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Army shot 57% from the floor on 26-of-48 shooting, including a blistering 61% in the second half, hitting on 14 of their 23 attempts. The Black Knights also hit on 25-of-32 free throws for the contest, good enough for 78%. Meanwhile, the Keydets shot 23-of-70 from the floor (33%), 11-of-43 from beyond the arc (26%), and an encouraging 15-of-18 (83%) from the charity stripe.
Bothered in the first half by the Keydets' full-court pressure, Army committed 15 turnovers, while VMI made only four in the opening period. However, in the second half, Army turned the ball over only nine times, while VMI committed eight turnovers. Army also held advantages in rebounds (45-31), assists (18-16), while VMI made 16 steals to Army's six.
The Keydets return to action on Friday night in the first round of the William & Mary Tip-Off Classic, as they take on Cornell at Kaplan Arena at 6 p.m. They will then play either William & Mary or Jacksonville State the following night.
GAME NOTES* The Keydets 43 attempts from beyond the 3-point line established a new Christl Arena record, eclipsing the old mark of 31 achieved three times.
