HIGH POINT, N.C. -Junior forward Arizona Reid scored 32 points and grabbed a Big South Conference record 25 rebounds to lead High Point to a 109-92 win over VMI on Senior Night at the Millis Center Saturday evening.
The Keydets fell despite a 32-point effort by junior forward Reggie Williams, and slipped to sixth place in the Big South standings with UNC Asheville's win at Charleston Southern earlier Saturday. The Keydets will travel to face Liberty next Tuesday in the first round of the Big South Conference tournament. Tipoff at the Vines Center will be 7:00 p.m.
VMI now stands 12-18, 5-9 BSC while High Point improved to 21-9, 11-3. The Panthers will host Radford next Tuesday in the first round of the BSC tourney.
In a storyline all too familiar in Keydet losses this season, the opponent capitalized on a big first half scoring run.
The Keydets held a 9-7 lead following a Williams jumper at the 16:42 mark of the first half, but the Panthers reeled off a 24-7 run over the next eight minutes to break the game open. Reid capped the spurt with a jumper at the 8:25 mark to give HPU its biggest lead of 16 points, 31-15, with 8:25 left. Reid contributed 12 points on the run.
The Keydets trailed by double-digits until the final minute of the half when Williams hit a layup to shave the deficit to 51-42 at halftime and capping a 7-0 run over the last 1:32 of the clock.
VMI came as close as they would all night at the 13:00 mark following a 10-3 spurt that pulled VMI within 62-59 following a three-pointer by Williams.
But the Panthers pushed the lead back to double-digits and hit 13 of 16 free throws in the second half after going 4 of 10 in the opening half, and kept the Keydets from getting within striking distance. VMI trailed, 93-84 with 3:00 left, but the Panthers drained 10 of 11 from the charity stripe the rest of the way to hush any Keydet rally.
Joining Reid in the Panther attack were guards Eugene Harris and Mike Jefferson who each pumped in 20 points while fellow guards Landon Quick and Melvin Crowder each had 10 points.
VMI sophomore guard Chavis Holmes hit four three-pointers on his way to a 21-point night while senior forward Matt Murrer had 17 points and nine rebounds and missed his second double-double by a board. Sophomore guard Travis Holmes added 15 points for his 15th double figures game over the last 17 outings.
The Keydets, who usually thrive on points off tornovers, committed 16 for the game which the Panthers converted into 18 points. VMI was able to generate just 11 steals, far below their nation-leading 15.8 per game heading into the contest.
VMI will try to shake its three-game skid as it heads into Tuesday's match-up with Liberty. The Flames defeated the Keydets last Wednesday night in Lexington, 118-108, and captured a shoot-out at the Vines Center on January 27, 122-117.
On a historic note, VMI set a new record NCAA record for most three-pointers in a season and now have 412 in 30 games, surpassing Duke's 2000-2001 squad that hit 407 in 29 games.
With four blocks, VMI also set a new school season record for blocks and now has 109, surpassing the old mark of 107 set in 1991.
VMI HEAD COACH DUGGAR BAUCOM - "I was a little disappointed with the effort to begin with. We get down 15 and have to fight back. That's been the story of this team. That's our personality and I don't understand it, but that's the way we are."
"We had turnovers tonight with nobody pressuring us. It was sickening because those are run stoppers. I was real disappointed with our overall performance. We have to play better than that if we are going to be a good team. Right now we are really struggling to find ourselves."
On facing Liberty -
"I know what we can't do is spot them 24 points. Both games were close in the second half, but they are way too good and way too talented to spot 24 points. They are the most athletic team in the league, I think, and we can't go over there to be passive. We've got nothing to lose. I hate the way we played our way into sixth place, we just haven't played well lately. I don't know if we're tired or what. We have to do some soul searching for the next three days."
