WILMINGTON, N.C. - Junior center John Fields poured in 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead UNC Wilmington past VMI, 115-95 in college basketball Tuesday night at Trask Coliseum.
The Seahawks (2-4) snapped a two-game losing skid and overcame Keydet scoring surges throughout the game led by sophomore guard Keith Gabriel who finished with a game-high 25 points, and freshman forward Stan Okoye, who produced his first double-double in a VMI uniform with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
VMI evened its record to 2-2 on the season heading into Thanksgiving break.
UNCW shot 63.6% (42-66) from the floor for the game and dished out 25 assists - 12 coming from junior point guard Chad Tomko who also finished with 20 points and hit 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. Also hitting double figures for the game for UNCW was junior forward Dominique Lacy (19), senior guard Johnny Wolf (14) and junior guard Ahmad Grant, who hit three key three-pointers to quell a VMI second half rally.
Okoye, who was held from the starting lineup after spraining his ankle in Monday practice at Trask Coliseum, entered the game early in the first half and had 16 points and nine rebounds by halftime. The Raleigh, N.C. native made a successful return to his home state and finished the game hitting 7 of 13 shots from the floor and grabbing seven offensive rebounds.
Keydet sophomore guard Michael Sparks scored 13 points after intermission and finished with 17 points for his third double-figures game in four contests. Sophomore guard Ron Burks added 12 points and seven rebounds and junior guard Austin Kenon labored through a 2-for-15 shooting night to finish with 10 points.
UNCW never trailed in the contest and the Keydets managed just one tie, and early 2-2 score after the teams traded baskets in the opening minute. The Seahawks raced to a 22-7 lead at the 14:40 mark on a dunk by freshman Will Ohuaregbe, but VMI countered with a 9-2 run fueled by an Okoye layup to pull VMI within 24-16. The Seahawks then reeled off seven unanswered points to push the margin back to double-digits following a dunk by Lacy, a Fields jumper, and a layup by Wolf.
A pair of Lacey free throws at the 1:24 mark gave UNCW its biggest margin of the half, 56-37, but VMI fought back to trail by 14 points at halftime.
The Keydets, playing UNCW for the first time in program history, closed the gap in the second half, trailing the hosts by just eight points at the midway point in the second half following a barrage of Keydet 3-pointers including two by Gabriel and two by Sparks, the latest coming with 11:29 left to pull VMI within an 80-72 count.
But UNCW countered with a perimeter assault to gradually pull away. Grant drained three consecutive 3-pointers from the left wing within a span of three minutes to spark the Seahawks who never looked back after hitting the century mark in points with 6:36 remaining.
VMI shot just 30.8% in the first half, but improved to a season-best 52.9% in the second half to finish the game at 39.5%. The Keydets also capitalized on second chance points, holding a 27-10 advantage, but UNCW outscored VMI in the paint, 70-46.
Fields, a 6-9 transfer from East Carolina, hit 10-of-11 shots from the floor and blocked four shots on his way to a double-double night. The Seahawks registered 11 blocks for the game.
VMI will break for the Thanksgiving holiday and returns to action Monday, November 30, against Lynchburg College. Tip-off at Cameron Hall is 7:00 p.m.
QUOTES - VMI HEAD COACH DUGGAR BAUCOM
"It seemed like we were in a hole the entire night and we had to keep battling back. I know it wasn't a pretty night shooting."
"But I was proud of our guys. It's a 20-point loss. We're getting some open looks, but we're just not knocking them down. Some guys we are counting on for scoring are not producing, and when that happens, we're not very good. But we're a young team and I'm not discouraged at the least. We'll keep working at it to get better."
"Stan Okoye came back and played on a bad wheel. He told our trainer on the bus coming over to the gym that he wanted to play. When you have freshman like that who are warriors, that's a good thing."
"Keith Gabriel was outstanding and played hard. Wilmington is as good as any team in our league. (Chad) Tomko was a one-man press breaker. It takes you out of what you want to do."
