LEXINGTON, Va. - Keith Gabriel had 24 points to lead all scorers and the VMI Keydets survived a furious second-half rally by Randolph College to earn the win, 99-88, in a non-conference contest played Monday night at Cameron Hall in Lexington, Va.
Trailing by 22 with 6:50 to go, and having faced a deficit as large as 27 earlier in the night, Randolph went on a 14-3 run to close the margin to 11 with three minutes to go, but could get no closer over the remainder of the game.
The Keydets were paced by Gabriel's 24, while Austin Kenon's 18 points included 5-for-8 shooting from distance. The visiting Wildcats had two players, Colton Hunt and Derrick Woods-Morrow, post double-doubles in the losing effort. With the win, VMI moves to 5-9 on the year, while Randolph falls to 8-6 with the setback.
VMI opened the scoring with a Kenon jumper just 11 seconds into the game, taking an early 2-0 lead. Randolph fired back with a Pete Hamilton three-pointer, Hamilton's only bucket of the half, to take a 3-2 advantage. However, that would be the Wildcats' only lead of the evening, as VMI retook the edge moments later with a Gabriel three.
The Keydets pushed the lead to seven, thanks to a 10-2 run capped by a Stan Okoye lay-in at 14:57 to make it 12-5, VMI. Randolph answered by gradually chopping the margin down, and the visitors cut it to three at 13:03, when Cameron Shepherd drilled a trey. That was the closest the Wildcats would get the rest of the way, as the Keydets hit a trio of three-pointers to account for a 9-2 run and take their first double-digit lead of the night, 25-15.
From there, VMI was able to pull away and expand the margin. It grew to 20 with 5:36 left in the frame, as Ron Burks hit a pair of free throws to make the score 45-25. The advantage got as high as 23 in the first half, as Michael Sparks converted a basket with 1:34 on the clock to make it 54-31, Keydets. Randolph responded with a 6-0 run to close the half, accounting for the halftime score of 54-37.
Gabriel led all scorers in the first half, scoring 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting, while Shepherd paced the Wildcats with 11 markers. The Keydets hit seven treys in the opening stanza and shot 51% overall en route to the 17-point halftime lead.
Hamilton opened the final 20 minutes with a three for Randolph, but the home team distanced itself after that basket. The gradual separation allowed the Keydets to open up a 27-point lead just six minutes into the second half, following a three-pointer by Joe Carr. With as much as 6:50 remaining, the Keydets maintained a 22-point edge, but from there, Randolph mounted a rally.
A 10-0 run started the push, pulling the visitors within 12 with 4:57 to play. After a Nick Gore trey, the Wildcats scored the next four points to cut the margin to 11, the first of four times they would be that close over the final three minutes. Randolph could get no closer however, and the Keydets closed the win out to move to 5-2 at home this season.
Hunt's 22 points and 10 rebounds led the Wildcats, while Woods-Morrow chipped in with 18 and 12 boards as the visitors shot 50% from the field. The Keydets had a strong game from Carr, who went 3-for-3 from the floor for eight points, to go along with a career-high eight assists.
The Keydets will return to action Thursday, as VMI plays host to the UNC Asheville Bulldogs in a Big South contest. Game two of the three-game homestand is set for 7 p.m.
Quotes - VMI Head Coach Duggar Baucom
"We'll take a win. There was nothing pretty about it, it just showed us we've got a whole lot to work on. Credit Clay and his bunch, for a program that's been in existence a short time, he's done an awesome job. He certainly has some guys who can shoot it. We'd take 9-of-19 any night from three, and that's what they shot. They shot it really well."
"They just outworked us the second half. It's frustrating."
"Joe Carr stepped up and made a couple of shots. I was really pleased with his play, eight points, eight assists and only two turnovers. He's the best kid in the world. He's very unselfish, and plays very hard. Eight assists in 15 minutes, three steals and three rebounds, that's pretty good, and he was perfect from the floor."
