LEXINGTON, Va. - Sophomore guard Reggie Middleton sank one of two free throws with 2.0 seconds left to quell a furious VMI rally and send Winthrop to an 87-83 win over the Keydets Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 1,653 at Cameron Hall.
The Eagles were cruising to their fifth consecutive win with over three minutes left in regulation only to see the Keydets produce a 20-6 spurt down the stretch to make things interesting.
Winthrop senior center Andy Buechert's dunk gave Winthrop its largest lead of the game, 79-63, with 3:33 left, but he was tagged with a technical foul for grabbing the rim. That commenced the VMI rally, started by junior guard Austin Kenon's conversion of the two technical free throws.
The Keydets made it a one-possession game when Kenon converted a driving layup with 2.8 seconds left to pull VMI within 86-83. Sophomore forward Michael Sparks fouled Middleton on the inbound with 2.0 remaining, setting up the game-clinching free throw.
The Eagles (13-10, 9-4 Big South Conference) won for the eighth time in the last nine contests. The five-game win streak is Winthrop's longest of the year.
VMI fell to 8-15, 3-10 in its next-to-last home game of the year.
Winthrop had three players produce double-double games on the afternoon. Middleton led the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds, followed by sophomore center Matt Morgan with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and senior forward Mantoris Robinson with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Robinson tallied all his points after halftime.
VMI sophomore guard Keith Gabriel led VMI in scoring with 21 points including three 3-pointers. Kenon added 16 points and nailed eight-of-nine free throws from the charity stripe, but was limited to just six minutes of action in the first half after picking up two fouls before the first media timeout.
Freshman Stan Okoye scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for his seventh double-double game of the season and sixth over the last nine games. Sophomore guard Ron Burks added 12 points and seven rebounds for the home team.
The Keydets were hampered by inconsistent shooting from 3-point-range (10-of-41 for the game) and poor free throw shooting in the first half. VMI hit just 11-of-20 from the line in the first half, but rebounded with a 12-of-15 clip after intermission.
Winthrop held a 57-40 advantage on the boards including a 19-12 mark on the offensive glass. The Eagles outscored VMI, 54-28, in points in the paint.
After spotting the Eagles the game's first basket, VMI seized and held the lead for over 17 minutes of the first half. The Keydet advantage grew to as much as nine points following an 11-3 run capped by Okoye's jumper at the 14:03 mark of the first half.
The Eagles rallied with a 12-2 run over the last 2:52 of the first half to secure a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the day. Middleton and Morgan each chipped in six points on the spurt, while the Keydets squandered opportunities going 0-for-5 from the field with 4 turnovers following their last field goal of the half, a Gabriel 3-pointer with 4:19 left before intermission.
VMI trailed 43-37 at the break and later trailed by only five points (63-58) after a layup by senior guard Adam Lonon at the 8:48 mark. The Eagles then embarked on an 18-5 ruin to assume their largest lead of the game punctuated by Buechert's dunk.
VMI will play four of its remaining five regular season games on the road and begins a two-game swing through North Carolina next Thursday night when it faces Gardner-Webb at 7 p.m. The teams are vying for one of the remaining spots in the Big South Conference Tournament.
Winthrop resumes action next Saturday at home against Presbyterian at 3:30 p.m.
VMI HEAD COACH DUGGAR BAUCOM -
"It was disappointing because a lot of kids played extremely hard and really fought. The key to the game was the last three minutes of the first half. It seemed like six of their baskets to end the half were "run outs" - we turned it over and they ran out. I thought that changed the completion of the game. From that point, it was an uphill battle."
"Our game plan going in was to try to be as tough as they were inside. We weren't on loose balls, those 50-50 type plays. A couple of times we had it in our hands and they just took it from us. They are a big, strong team, but that's no excuse for our guys. We've got to battle a little harder than that."
"I was pleased with how we played switching defenses and I thought we did a decent job on the boards for the most part. Credit them, they took away Stan Okoye and did a good job on him and left guys with open shots. We've got to make them."
