BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Junior guard Austin Kenon and freshman forward Stan Okoye provided a 1-2 punch that couldn't be topped Thursday night at Porter Arena.
The duo keyed VMI to a 92-85 win road over Gardner-Webb and helped revive the Keydet hopes of qualifying for the Big South Tournament.
Kenon scored a game-high 29 points, including six three-pointers, and also hit nine of 10 free throws while dishing out seven assists against the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Okoye produced his seventh double-double over the last 10 games with 26 points, 11 rebounds and blocked four shots.
There was plenty of support from VMI teammates as well. Sophomore guard/forward Ron Burks scored eight points, dished out nine assists and grabbed six rebounds while generating five steals. Sophomore guard Keith Gabriel and Michael Sparks each hit double-figures scoring with 11 and 10 points, respectively, and chipped in a combined five treys.
With the win VMI pulled even with Gardner-Webb as both teams now have 4-10 conference records with four games remaining. The top eight teams qualify for the conference tournament which gets underway March 2. VMI won for only the second time on the road and stands 9-15 overall. Gardner-Webb fell to 7-17 overall.
The Runnin' Bulldogs were led by guard Anton Silver who finished with 21 points, including a trio of three's late in the game, as he tried to keep his squad in the contest. Guard Jonathan Moore added 14 points and guard C.J. Hailey had 11 points.
VMI canned six of 11 from long range in the second half (54.5%) and converted 16 of 22 from the line after intermission to hold off the Runnin' Bulldogs.
VMI's sharp shooting didn't start that way as the Keydets missed eight of their first nine shots from the field and trailed 4-2 by the first media timeout.
The Keydets caught fire soon after and reeled off 14 straight points to assume a lead they would never relinquish. Okoye started the run with a layup to tie the score at 4-4 and Kenon capped the spurt by dropping a three-ball at the 13:00 mark to push the Keydets ahead, 16-4.
VMI would twice build 17-point advantages in the opening half, the latest coming on a Gabriel three-pointer with 4:15 left before halftime to make it 40-23.
The Keydets led 46-34 at the break and we able to maintain their second half lead using the same formula that brought them success in the first half - forcing turnovers and converting at the line while knocking down enough treys to keep momentum.
A 9-0 run by the Bulldogs midway in the second half quickly shaved an 18-point deficit to single digits following Jonathan Moore's lay-in at the 5:13 mark to pull GWU within a 72-63 count.
But Sparks countered with a 3-pointer from the right wing on the ensuing possession, setting the tone for VMI answers to each Bulldog surge in crunch time.
The Keydets sealed the win by hitting 13 of 16 from the stripe over the last 3:25 of regulation, including the last six by Kenon, to give him his second-highest scoring output of the season, short only of his 31 points against Coastal Carolina December 3 at Cameron Hall.
VMI forced 20 turnovers for the game with 12 steals to finish with a 27-13 advantage in points off turnovers.
The Keydets won for the third time in four meetings with Gardner-Webb and is 2-0 at Porter Arena.
The road trip continues Saturday afternoon in Asheville, N.C. as VMI visits UNC Asheville for a 4:30 tip.
VMI HEAD COACH DUGGAR BAUCOM -
"The parade to the free throw line was good down the end and Austin Kenon was stellar and Adam Lonon hit some big ones. They hit some bombs at the end, but we knew if they kept fouling us we were going to go to the line and do well."
"I'm very proud of the guys getting this second road win. It's huge."
"Austin (Kenon) is back. Six of 10 in three-pointers is pretty impressive. Keith Gabriel gave us three huge ones and Michael Sparks maybe gave us the biggest one of the game late in the second half. They had a little mix-up on defense and he buried that one. It was great look."
"I was pleased with the guys' poise down the stretch. I told them that Gardner-Webb was at home they were going to come back and punch you, and they did. We just keep hanging tough."
"I thought Stan (Okoye) was going to have a double-double in the first half the way he was playing. He's special. He's very poised out there and does a lot of good things. The four blocks were huge because he lets us get out there and really extend our defense."
"I told our guys that we are going to get this train rolling. A train starting late is better than no train starting. We've got a lot of work to do in Asheville."
