LEXINGTON, Va. ? Behind career-high point outputs from Chavis Holmes (35 pts.) and Austin Kenon (29 pts.), VMI survived a desperate rally and held on for a thrilling 103-102 win over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in a Big South contest Saturday afternoon at Cameron Hall.
With the Keydets up by three and the seconds ticking away, Coastal Carolina's Mario Sisinni dribbled the ball up the court and found teammate Steven Sexton on the right wing, just beyond the three-point line.
Sexton was met by a pair of VMI defenders, but thanks to a head fake, was able to get off the heave as time expired. The shot banked in, and a Chanticleer celebration ensued, as the visitors had seemingly tied the score. However, much to Coastal Carolina's dismay, the officials ruled Sexton's shot to be a two-pointer, as the toe of his right foot was on the edge of the three-point line. After checking the replay, that ruling was upheld, giving VMI the 103-102 triumph, and bringing a raucous cheer from the 2,875 fans in attendance.
With the triumph, VMI moves to 13-2 on the season, 5-0 in Big South play and 7-0 at home. Coastal Carolina drops to 7-9 and 1-3 in Big South action.
The win is VMI's ninth in a row, the Keydets' first nine-game winning streak since 1978. The victory also gives the Keydets 12 wins in their last 13 games. That is VMI's best winning streak since winning 13-of-14 during the 1977-78 season, and the fourth-longest winning streak in Keydet history. The victory continues the squad's best start since 1976-77, and its best opening stretch at home since 1995-96, as the team remains undefeated at Cameron Hall.
The early moments of Saturday's game were played at a slow pace, and Coastal Carolina took advantage. Center Jon Pack had four early points, helping the Chanticleers take an early 6-5 lead at the 17:55 mark. The advantage was Coastal's final lead of the game.
VMI answered back, however, as a Chavis Holmes three-pointer at 14:18 moved him into 12th on the all-time Big South scoring list. The shot sparked a 10-2 VMI run over the next 2:49 to give the Keydets a 15-8 lead. During the run, four different players scored to help the homestanding squad take the seven-point advantage.
The Keydets continued their hot shooting over the next several minutes, and pushed their advantage to double digits for the first time at the 11:05 mark, thanks to a Keith Gabriel three-pointer. Over the opening nine minutes, Gabriel had ten points and Chavis Holmes notched eight to help VMI to its quick start.
Coastal Carolina responded quickly, as the visitors were able to chop their deficit to one at the 6:52 mark. Joseph Harris fueled the Chanticleers run with five points during those four-plus minutes. VMI pushed its lead back out to six, and the Keydets' lead was at four after a Harris jumper at the 3:42 mark. The home team then showed its trademark explosiveness as it went on an 8-0 run over just 35 seconds, giving the Keydets a 12-point cushion with just over three minutes to play in the opening half.
Coastal Carolina cut the deficit back to eight at halftime, thanks to a mini-spurt of 6-1 to close the half. Harris led the visitors with 11 points and eight rebounds in the opening frame, while Chavis Holmes sparked VMI with 17 points in the initial 20 minutes. Gabriel had 15 points and Kenon notched 13 first-half markers for the Keydets.
The opening moments of the second half were marked by a 6-0 VMI run beginning at the 17:56 mark. The spurt gave the Keydets a 12-point advantage, but Coastal fought back. The home team's advantage was reduced to just two, 69-67, on a Harris layup at 14:02.
The contest was back-and-forth for the next several minutes, with the Keydets holding a slight lead. The cushion was no greater than eight until a free throw by Gabriel gave VMI a 97-88 lead with 5:12 left to play. After an exchange of baskets, the lead was eight with 3:20 to play, as Chavis Holmes hit a pair of free throws.
From there, the Chanticleers had one final run for VMI, as the visitors chipped the eight-point advantage down to a single point with 46 seconds to play, thanks to a layup by Harris. Coastal Carolina quickly fouled Chavis Holmes on the inbound pass, and he nailed the ensuing free throws to put VMI up three and set the stage for the final, dramatic moments.
Saturday's effort marks the second-straight game in which Kenon has posted a career-high, as he hit for 26 points Monday against Charleston Southern.
All told, the Keydets hit 17 treys on the day as they scored over 100 points for the first time since Dec. 13. Keith Gabriel had 19 points to aid in the winning effort, while fellow freshman Ron Burks grabbed eight rebounds.
Harris led Coastal Carolina with his very impressive afternoon, as the redshirt junior tallied 30 points, 16 rebounds and six assists in the loss. Sisinni had 20 points and nine assists for the Chanticleers as well, and the Chanticleers went down to defeat despite 58 points in the paint.
VMI's win is its third-consecutive triumph over Coastal Carolina, after the Chanticleers had captured seven of the first eight meetings between the clubs. The Keydets' Travis Holmes did not see action due to a sore knee, and he continues to be listed as day-to-day.
The Keydets return to action Monday, as they continue their three-game homestand by hosting the Presbyterian College Blue Hose. Game time at Cameron Hall is set for 7 p.m.
Quotes --- VMI Head Coach Duggar Baucom:
“Sexton did a great job of pump faking us. I was glad we didn't leave our feet and made it a tough shot, but he ended up banking it in. We talked about fouling (on the last possession), but they are so athletic.”
“We dodged a bullet with Travis out again. Some guys stepped up, with Chavis and Austin getting career-highs. I'd take another of those Monday night.”
“Sisinni is a great player as a senior, and he's gotten better and better every year. Joseph Harris can play for anyone, and has an unbelievable motor.”
“Chavis stepped up for his brother. I was a little worried about him trying to do too much, but today I thought he was just about perfect with what he did, hitting those floaters and I don't think he forced anything.”
