LEXINGTON, Va. ? Senior forward Travis Holmes hit 7 of 10 shots from the floor and nailed all eight free throw attempts for 23 points to lead VMI past Maryland Bible, 118-72 in the home opener for the Keydets.
VMI placed five in double figures scoring including sophomore guard Austin Kenon (15), freshman forward Michael Sparks (12), sophomore forward Quinn Brownfield (11) and senior guard Chavis Holmes (11).
The Keydets (2-1) forced 37 turnovers which led to 57 points. Twelve of the 13 players who suited up and saw action scored including 54 points coming off the bench.
VMI shot 57.7% for the game including 61% in the second half. The Keydets continued their sharp free throw shooting ? hitting 24 of 27 from the line Tuesday night which put them 38 of 41 over the past two games.
Maryland Bible fell to 1-4 and was led by junior guard Terry Hosley who scored 20 points before fouling out with 4:00 remaining.
VMI trailed just once in the contest, a 20-second span during the game's first two minutes when Aerion Slocum hit a jumper at the 18:35 mark of the first half to put the Eagles up 4-2.
Chavis Holmes hit two free throws to push VMI ahead for good at 5-4, but the Eagles hung close trailing 19-16 with 13:00 left when Hosley converted a layup. VMI responded with a 12-0 run over the 2:43 to push the lead into double digits for good. VMI led 63-29 at the break.
The Keydets led by as many as 50 points in the second half (90-40) when freshman forward Ron Burks canned a 3-pointer at the 11:53 mark.
The Keydets shot 12 of 32 beyond the arc and outrebounded the Eagles 39-32. VMI also generated 25 steals and was led by Chavis Holmes who had eight ?one off his career high.
Sparks dished out a team-leading five assists while Kenon had four.
VMI returns to action Thursday night at Cameron Hall to face Stevenson College at 7:00 p.m.
VMI Head Coach Duggar Baucom - “I pleased that we came out focused and got off to a good start. I attribute that to our senior leadership. That was the challenge going into the game ?being prepared and ready to play. I was pleased with that. The guys in there early went out and did a good job and created an opportunity for a lot of other guys to get minutes and play. 28 turnovers by us...that's not good at all. We'll make those adjustments. We shot the ball from three a little bit bettering the second half. First half, I wasn't please with that. But these games are tough and they get a little ragged. I credit our guys for hanging in there and guarding.”
“We shot free throws well, I was really pleased with that. I thought we shared the ball. Our goal was to make simple plays and I thought we did that.”
“I was pleased with Wayne Whiting ? he was four for six. Carl Josey brought a lot of energy-he had three assists just by running loose balls down and making some plays. Quinn Brownfield played awesome. He gave us a spark off the bench and shot the ball well. He has playing great in practice. He's been a bright spot for us and has huge potential.”
