LYNCHBURG, Va. - They scored 50 points in just over ten minutes, breaking Vines Center records on the way. But it wasn't enough as VMI's furious second-half rally fell short in a 122-117 Big South Conference setback to Liberty University Saturday night.
VMI trailed by 23 points at the half after scoring just 42 points in the opening frame, but pumped in an astonishing 75 points after halftime and pulled within two points in the final minute of regulation before seeing its three-game winning streak come to an end.
The Keydets now stand 10-13 on the year and slipped below .500 in league play with a 3-4 mark.
Twelve Vines Center records were broken, including most combined points, as the Flames (9-12, 3-4 BSC) extended their series win streak to five when the game between the teams is played in Lynchburg.
The Flames started out the game on a 9-2 run, which was capped by a lay-up from Anthony Smith with 18:03 remaining in the first half. The bucket made Smith the 45th player in Liberty history to score 500 career points.
It wasn't long after when VMI's Matt Murrer would join an elite group as well, going over the 1,000 point career mark and 500-rebound threshold.
The score was relatively close for the next six minutes of play. VMI cut the Flames' advantage to 15-14 on a Travis Holmes three-pointer. The Flames then tallied eight of the game's next 11 points, a run which came to a close on a bucket by Dwight Brewington with 12:06 left in the opening period. His conversion gave Liberty a 23-17 lead.
The Flames then held a 15-9 advantage over the next four minutes, capped by Brewington's old-fashioned three point play with 8:06 left in the half, which lifted Liberty to a 38-26 lead.
The Flames closed out the half on a 27-16 run which was concluded with Brewington's steal and basket with four seconds left, sending Liberty into the break with a 65-42 lead.
The Flames' 65 first-half points broke a Vines Center record for points in a half, but the Keydets would rewrite that mark in the next 20 minutes of regulation.
VMI started the second half on a 16-9 run, cutting the Flames' lead to 74-58. The run was wrapped up on a bucket by Matt Murrer with 16:11 left in the game. Three times in the half, VMI trimmed the margin to 13 points, only to see Liberty answer. But VMI pulled within 10 points at he 3:00 mark and the sprint ot the finish line was on.
Using a 27-11 run, VMI's furious comeback attempt was capped by a Dusty Pflugner lay-up with 28 seconds left which cut the Flames' lead to 119-117.
Down 120-117, VMI, which never led in the game, had a chance to tie with :15 left, but Travis Holmes' 3-point contetsed try from the right corner fell short and Liberty rebounded.
The game ultimately ended up in the hands of Liberty's leading scorer, Larry Blair who made three-of-four from the free throw line to seal the victory.
Reggie Williams broke a Vines Center record for opponents' scoring with 40 points on 14-of-21 shooting. Williams 14 field goals also marked an opponents' Vines Center record. It was Williams' fourth 40-point plus game of the year.
Chavis Holmes scored 17 points while Murrer added 16 of his own before fouling out. Rounding out the top Keydets were Travis Holmes and Fred Robinson who added 15 and 14 points, respectively.
VMI, which shot 39.5% in the first half, fired a 54.2% clip in the second half as it closed the gap.
Blair and Brewington led the way for the homestanding Flames with 30 points apiece. Blair finished two points shy of 2,000 career tallies. The senior guard also collected his second double-double of the season, as he brought down 10 rebounds.
Brewington's point total was a career high. McLean added his ninth double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
The Flames, for the first time all season, finished a game shooting over 60 percent as they shot 45-of-72 from the field while dishing out a Vines Center-record 33 assists.
VMI broke the Vines Center record for points by an opponent, joining Virginia Tech as the only two visiting teams to top the 100-point mark in a game.
VMI returns home to face Winthrop next Wednesday night at Cameron Hall at 7:00 p.m.
VMI head coach Duggar Baucom - "It's easy to play when your 23 points down. We just didn't come out-we got an immature bunch at times and we can't handle winning. We talked about winning being a habit and to come out and have that poor of a performace the first half...that won't happen again or we'll have some other people in there playing. The Holmes were absolutely invisible in the first half, they were 2-13. We weren't getting any steals and weren't doing anything that was VMI basketball. So you dig yourself a hole like that and it's easy to play when you are down like that. I credit their effort, but I can go out there and play when you're 23 points down because there is no consequence.You are either going to get beat by 50 or you are going to come back. We made some plays and came back."
