LEXINGTON, Va. - Keith Gabriel tied his career-high with 34 points in his first collegiate start, Michael Sparks had a career-best 25 points and VMI defeated the visiting Lynchburg College Hornets 108-93 in a non-conference contest played Monday night at Cameron Hall.
VMI never trailed on the night, as the Keydets notched their fourth consecutive 3-0 home start. Four Keydets scored at least 15 points in the victory, and Ron Burks had a Cameron Hall-record 13 assists to go with seven steals as VMI moved to 3-2 overall. Visiting Lynchburg falls to 1-4 with the loss, despite having four players in double figures.
After a lengthy run by the visitors cut the margin to five, the Keydets took command late in the first half. An Austin Kenon three-pointer started the spurt, and the Keydets scored nine of the half's final 11 points to take a 54-39 lead at the break. The Hornets could not get closer than nine the rest of the way, as VMI survived a late 10-0 Hornet run.
The home team got off to a quick start, scoring the first nine points of the contest. A Burks jumper started the scoring just nine seconds in, and after a pair of Lynchburg turnovers, Nick Gore went on to score seven consecutive points, ending the run with a fast-break layup at 17:50 that put VMI up 9-0.
The Hornets chipped away at the margin and cut it to four with a Robby Kaiser three-pointer at the 13:19 mark. The trey made the score 19-15, but VMI responded with the game's decisive run. The 12-1 spurt over the next 1:28 concluded with another Gore basket and gave the Keydets a 31-16 lead with 10:51 left in the half.
The teams volleyed scores until Lynchburg went on its first run of the contest, as the Hornets started a 12-2 run at 4:55 with a basket by Michael Wims. Aided by four missed three-pointers, a Nate Campbell jumper two-and-a-half minutes later got Lynchburg back within five, 42-37. Austin Kenon nailed a three-pointer to end the run, and after a timeout, VMI went on a 9-2 dash to close the half and go up by 15, 54-39, at halftime.
The Keydets were led by Gabriel in the opening half, as the sophomore notched 15 points in the opening 20 minutes. Burks had four points and eight assists, while Kenon (10) and Sparks (13) were also in double figure scoring at the intermission.
The teams went back-and-forth for the majority of the second half. Lynchburg closed to within 14 briefly early in the period, thanks to a jumper by Brandan Connor at the 19-minute mark. The Keydets quickly pushed the lead back to 20, on the strength of three Gabriel free throws and a Sparks trey, going up 68-48 at the 16:42 mark.
A hoop by Campbell cut the margin back to 16, 76-60, with 13:30 to play, but Sparks answered with a three on VMI's next possession to make the margin 19 once again. After a Michael Glover basket made it 79-62, VMI took its biggest lead of the night, a 22-point edge with 8:32 to go. The teams went back-and-forth for the next three-plus minutes, as the Keydets appeared to have the game well in hand, holding a 19-point lead with 5:04 remaining.
From there, Lynchburg went on a 10-0 run and got back to within single digits for the first time since the opening half, cutting the margin to 97-88 with 3:21 to go. Sparks hit another three-pointer, his seventh of the night, to make the lead double-digits once again and end the Hornets' threat. The Keydets closed out the game by making five of their final six free throws, including a Gabriel attempt that tied his career-high mark, to help account for the final margin.
In addition to Gabriel and Sparks, the Keydets also had Kenon and Gore in double figures, as both hit for 17 points on the evening. Lynchburg was led by Steven Echols' 20 points, as well as Michael Wims' game-high 12 rebounds.
The Keydets return to action Thursday, as they play host to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in the team's Big South Opener. Game time at Cameron Hall is set for 9 p.m., and the contest will be televised on MASN.
