Box Score RADFORD, Va. - Senior guard Austin Kenon scored 20 points and led six Keydets into double figures scoring nights as VMI topped Radford, 105-71, Thursday night at the Dedmon Center.
VMI snapped a two-game skid and moved to a perfect 3-0 in road conference games. Overall, VMI is now 10-7, and 3-4 in the Big South Conference. The Keydets also ended a four-game losing streak to the Highlanders.
Radford fell to 4-12 overall and 1-5 in the conference.
VMI shot 53.6% for the game including a 62.5% clip from the floor in the first half. The Keydets hit 15 of 30 three-point attempts for the contest and came within one trey of equaling the Dedmon Center mark for most 3-pointers in a game.
Kenon converted six-of-eight from the field and drained four of five from behind the 3-point arc to net his fourth 20-point game of the season. Sophomore forward Stan Okoye added 18 points on eight of 12 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds while freshman D.J. Covington matched his career-high in points with 16 points and blocked five shots. Junior guard Keith Gabriel scored 15 points and hit a trio of 3-point shots and junior forwards Ron Burks and Michael Sparks added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Burks also dished out six assists.
With the victory, VMI head coach Duggar Baucom secured his 79th career VMI coaching win, moving him into a tie with Joe Cantafio (1987-1994) for second place on the all-time list.
Radford was paced in scoring by junior forward Johnathan Edwards who scored 13 points. Guard Evan Faulkner, guard Jareal Smith, and guard Blake Smith each added 10 points for the Highlanders.
The first four-plus minutes of play was close as the teams changed leads three times and were tied twice. A Tolga Cerrah layup put Radford up, 9-8 at the 15:44 mark, but the Highlanders 14 seconds later would surrender the lead for the rest of the night when a Kenon 3-pointer from the left wing swished the nets, giving VMI an 11-9 edge and starting a string of 11 straight points fueled by three 3-pointers. Burks followed the Kenon trey with one at the 14:40 mark, and after sophomore Nick Gore hit a layup, freshman Rodney Glasgow capped the run with a three-ball from the right side.
VMI eventually built a 30-9 run over the next seven minutes and pushed the lead to 20 points at the 7:21 mark when Gabriel rained in a trey to make it 38-18.
VMI's lead would eventually grow to 27 points later in the half when Ron Burks converted a pair of free throws and VMI assumed a 60-33 advantage in the half following a Burks 3-pointer that banked in from 33-feet at the buzzer.
The Keydets capitalized on 11 Radford turnovers in the first half and held a 15-6 edge in points off turnover at the break
The Keydets did not relent in the second half and continued to use ball pressure and uptempo to avoid a letdown. The Highlanders pulled within 24 points twice in the second half but could come no closer for the remainder of regulation.
Radford shot 36.8% from the floor (25 of 68) and connected on just 5 of 23 three point attempts. The teams battled to a 42-42 tie on the boards.
VMI continues the two-game road trip Saturday night at High Point with tip-off set at the Millis Center at 7 p.m. Radford will face Liberty Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the Dedmon Center.
VMI Head Basketball Coach Duggar Baucom -
"That was certainly what this team is capable of. That's the frustrating part of being a coach when sometimes you go out and don't display what we are capable of doing. Tonight, I thought we were hitting on all cylinders. The guys on the bench all the way through really contributed."
"Our goal was to win every media time-out in the second half and not let up. Luckily, Michael Sparks went to the line and we tied it up on the first one, and we won every segment after that. I was proud of their effort. The guys really stayed in the game and worked the game plan."
"Making shots early helps. We guard better - our energy is better. It certainly helps our intensity. We were 9 of 12 in 3-point shooting in the first half and that's about as good as it's been since I've been here. Hopefully we are coming out of our little funk and we'll shoot it better."
"We played with some passion tonight and that's what we have been looking for."
"I don't know what it is about the road other than we get to spend time together. It's one of the few times we get to spend together as a team, and they like being around each other and that helps in their day-to-day life. Whatever it is, I hope it keeps going."
