LEXINGTON, Va. ? Junior guard Anthony Smith scored 22 points and freshman guard Jeremy Anderson added a career-high 20 points to lead Liberty to an 87-81 over VMI Monday night at Cameron Hall.

The Flames won their fourth straight conference game and stand (12-9, 4-2) while the Keydets fell to 10-9 and 2-3 in the BSC. Liberty also won on the road for only the second time in nine tries this season.

VMI, already without senior forward Reggie Williams, the nation's leading scorer (27.3) because of a deep thigh bruise, was also missing head coach Duggar Baucom who had been hospitalized since Sunday while undergoing tests for abdominal pains. Baucom is expected to rejoin the team for its next game at High Point Saturday night.

Both teams shot the ball well from outside ? each dropping in 15 treys on the night. But the Flames held a 41-25 advantage on the boards including a first half 9-0 count on the offensive glass.

Junior guard Chavis Holmes led VMI in scoring with 26 points hitting 10 of 17 shots from the field including four three pointers while twin brother Travis Holmes added 18 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the year.

VMI jumped out to a 15-6 lead when freshman forward Quinn Brownfield dropped in a three-pointer from the left wing at the 14:44 of the first half, but the Flames rallied with a 16-5 run and took its first lead on a Rell Porter layup at the 11:19 mark. Liberty gradually built up its lead to 16 points late in the first half capitalizing on a 10-0 run capped by Anderson's fifth three-pointer of the first half which put Liberty ahead 53-37.

VMI trailed 53-39 at halftime but started the second half on an 11-4 run to pull within 57-50 on a Travis Holmes three-pointer with 16:10 left. VMI cut the gap to five on three occasions later in the half ? the latest at the 5:08 mark when Chavis Holmes swished a three-pointer to make it 75-70.

With time running out, the Keydets fouled to put the Flames at the line, but Liberty hit five of six from the charity stripe over the last two minutes to keep distance. The Flames led by a dozen when 87-75 when Bannister hit one of two free throws, but VMI forced three straight turnovers and produced three quick scores to make it a two-possession game, 87-81, with 11 seconds left. VMI quickly fouled Smith with :10 remaining and the junior missed two free throws giving the Keydets life, but Chavis Holmes' contested three-point miss from the left wing was snatched by Liberty's B.J. Jenkins with two seconds left, sealing the win for the visitors.

Junior forward Willie Bell added 14 points including three 3-pointers for the Keydets.

Liberty senior forward Alex McLean scored 11 points and garbbed 14 rebounds for his third straight double-double and ninth of the season which is second most in the Big South.

VMI travels to High Point Saturday to face the Panthers at 7:00 p.m. at the Millis Center. Liberty travels to Radford Saturday night to face their conference in-state foe at 7 p.m. in the Dedmon Center.

KEYDET NOTES - Associate head coach coach Daniel Willis handled all game coaching duties in Baucom's absence. Willis had also filled in for Baucom for seven games during the 2005-06 season when Baucom was sidelined with heart-related surgery...Senior forward Reggie Williams has been diagnosed with a deep thigh bruise on his left leg and will remain sidelined for at least a week to 10 days. Williams sustained the injury in practice early last week before last Wednesday's VMI-Winthrop game in Rock Hill, S.C. It was the second straight game Williams had missed.