LEXINGTON, Va. ? Sparked by a career-high 25 points from freshman Keith Gabriel, including six three-pointers, VMI defeated the Winthrop Eagles 92-74 in the Big South Conference opener for both schools Wednesday night at Cameron Hall.

With the win, the Keydets run their record to 5-2 for the first time since the 2004-05 season. The victory is VMI's first over Winthrop since Jan. 31, 2004, and breaks a nine-game Keydet losing streak versus the Eagles.

The game was a back-and-forth contest early on, with neither team able to gain a decided advantage in the opening 15 minutes. Winthrop tallied a layup by Charles Corbin at the 14:18 mark to take a 12-9 lead, which would equal the Eagles' largest lead of the night.

VMI's Austin Kenon then scored eight points in a 2:12 span to give the Keydets a 22-17 advantage with just under 11 minutes left in the opening half, but Winthrop battled back, scoring on a Corbin layup four minutes later to take a 29-27 lead. The visitors would hold the slight edge until the 3:40 mark, when Gabriel hit the second of his treys to give the Keydets the 35-33 lead, an edge they would not relinquish.

In fact, Gabriel's three-pointer sparked a 23-9 run to close out the half, and stir the raucous 2,846 fans in attendance into a frenzy. The Charlotte, N.C., native had 11 points during the push, including two three-pointers and a breakaway dunk, as the Keydets took a 12-point advantage into the intermission.

In the first 20 minutes of play, VMI was led by Gabriel's 19 points, along with Kenon's 15. The Keydet defense forced 17 turnovers, while the VMI offense turned the ball over just four times in the opening half.

The Eagles, the multiple-time defending Big South Champions, tried to rally coming out of the locker room. The visitors from Rock Hill, S.C., scored the first seven points of the second half to cut the deficit to just five with 16:51 to play. VMI quickly responded, and put the game away by going on a 17-6 run over the next six-plus minutes. A trio of consecutive three-pointers got the spurt started, and Gabriel pushed the advantage to 16 with another trey, this one coming at the 10:14 mark to give VMI a 71-55 cushion.

The VMI offense would continue to pull away down the stretch, as Kenon added two more three-pointers, pushing his total to seven, which equaled a career-high set early last season. The Keydets took their biggest lead of the night with 1:10 remaining, as Chavis Holmes notched two of his 13 points on a slashing layup to push the edge to 21, 92-71. Winthrop nailed a three-pointer late to account for the final margin.

Playing in just his seventh collegiate game, Gabriel had his third 20-point plus performance, and set a new career scoring high with his 25-point effort. The freshman hit six three-pointers, which equaled his effort on Nov. 24 against Campbell, had three rebounds and notched a pair of steals. Kenon also was a key contributor for VMI, as the sophomore guard hit seven three-pointers en route to 23 points on the night. In addition, senior Travis Holmes had 21 points, seven assists and did not commit a turnover in 35 minutes of action.

The Eagles were led by Cameron Stanley and Justin Burton, who each tallied 18 points in the defeat.

Wednesday night's victory moved the Keydets to 1-0 in the Big South, as VMI prevailed in its conference opener for the second-consecutive season. Winthrop drops to 0-1 in conference action, and 1-6 overall on the year.

The Keydets return to action Saturday, as they travel to Asheville, N.C., to battle the UNC Asheville Bulldogs. Tip-off of the Big South contest is currently scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Quotes --- VMI Head Coach Duggar Baucom:

“We said the first four minutes of the second half was the most important, and we didn't play like that, but the last 16 minutes was pretty good. Keith (Gabriel) had a big night. He lives about 20 minutes from Winthrop (Charlotte, N.C.). I knew he was going to play big, Once he made his first shot, that little leaner, I said Keith's going to go off. I didn't think he'd go off quite like that. Between him and Austin ? 13 three's- that's pretty satisfying. “

“They were up three at the four minute timeout and I thought the last four minutes of the half (24-9 run) was the difference in the game. That last four minutes was pretty good. It was a lot more like the Kentucky game team tonight than last game.”

“Travis Holmes was big. Certainly the best game by far he has ever had. I had been on him on all week about his turnovers because he had been averaging about five turnovers a game. He (Travis) played 35 minutes tonight, seven assists, no turnovers, that's pretty good. And for us to only have 10 turnovers, I'll certainly take that as fast as we play.”

“Winthrop was just 1-for-3 in the first half from three-point range and we said let's just let them beat us over the top. They hit a couple late, but by in large, we thought that was something they didn't want to have to do, and we were going to try to force them to do it. It worked out well for us, and we actually rebounded a little bit out of it. Rebounds were sketchy early on, but that second half was a little bit better.”

“I told the guys it's a great start, but at 11:00 tomorrow, all our focus is on Asheville. We played well there the last two years. All of them are tough now. This win will mean so much more if we can go up there Saturday and play well.”