LEXINGTON, Va. - Junior guard Travis Holmes scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds and hit four free throws over the final 17.5 in regulation to help lead VMI to a come-from-behind 88-83 win over Coastal Carolina Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 2,807 at Cameron Hall.

The win snapped a five-game losing streak and gave VMI a season-sweep of the regular season series, only the third for the Keydets since joining the Big South in 2003-04. VMI pulled its overall mark to 11-11, 3-5 BSC. Coastal Carolina fell to 11-11 and 4-5 in the league.

VMI survived a 3-point barrage from the Chanticleers who hit 15 beyond the arc including a career-high tying nine treys from senior guard Jack Leasure.

The Keydets, who rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit to defeat CCU 107-100 January 14 in Conway S.C., trailed the Chants by that margin again Saturday when guard Logan Johnson converted a layup at the 14:37 mark of the second half to give CCU a 59-42 lead.

VMI rallied with a 29-11 run over the final ten minutes of regulation and committed just two turnovers after halftime. The Keydets took the lead for good when freshman guard Christian Hunter hit a 3-pointer from up top to put VMI ahead 80-79 with 2:33 left and followed with layups from Travis Holmes and Willie Bell capped a 12-0 run to extend the lead to five with :45 left.

Travis Holmes closed the game out with four straight free throws to put VMI in the win column for the first time in February.

Leasure led all scorers with 27 points and produced all his points from beyond the arc. Freshman forward scored 13 points and junior guard Mario Sisinni and sophomore Logan Johnson added 12 and 11 points, respectively for the Chants.

Senior forward Reggie Williams returned from a four-game absence due to a thigh bruise and scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds for the Keydets. Williams entered the game at the 17:36 mark of the first half and played 37 minutes - hitting 7 of 17 shots from the field including two from 3-point range.

VMI placed five in double figures scoring including freshman guard Christian Hunter who hit five 3-pointers for the second straight game and finished with 15 points. Junior forward Willie Bell turned in another strong outing with 15 points and 7 rebounds and junior guard Chavis Holmes added 14 points.

Travis Holmes dished out eight assists to lead the Keydets while CCU's David Long also registered eight assists.

CCU held a 39-37 advantage on the glass but the Keydets were able to hold their own on the offensive side of the ball with a 15-14 edge. VMI shot just 38.9% (14-36) from the floor in the first half, but improved to 51.5% (17-33) after intermission. VMI went 13-16 from the line including six of seven to close out the game's final 17 seconds.

Coastal Carolina led 35-33 with 2:22 left in the first half and closed out the frame on a 9-2 run to take a 44-35 lead at half. They opened the second half on a 15-7 run over the first 4:43 before VMI commenced its comeback.

The game also marked the debut of VMI sophomore guard Tim Maypray who is better known to Keydet fans as an All-Big South Conference football back and return specialist. Maypray joined the team at practice on Thursday and played one minute in Saturday's game missing a 3-point attempt for his only stat.

The Keydets close out the homestand Monday night against Charleston Southern. Tipoff is 7:00 p.m. Coastal Carolina continues the "mountain" swing with a 7:00 p.m. tip at Radford Monday night.

The box score and postgame audio from Coach Baucom may be found at the right of the page.