LEXINGTON, Va. - Stan Okoye scored 14 points during a game-breaking, 23-6 second half run, and Michael Sparks drilled a crucial three-pointer with 14 seconds to go, helping the VMI Keydets over the UMBC Retrievers, 84-79, in men's basketball action Saturday evening at Cameron Hall in Lexington, Va.
Okoye finished with 24 points, but scored 14 of those in the deciding spurt. With VMI down 11, Sparks scored five straight to start the tide's turning, and Okoye went on to score 14 of the Keydets' next 18 points over a stretch of 6:36 on the game clock. He added a block, two steals and two rebounds, as VMI (3-1) went on to take a 67-61 lead after a pair of Okoye free throws with 8:13 left.
UMBC (0-4) pulled even on two occasions late, 70-70 and 73-73, but after a three-point play by Chris De La Rosa cut the Keydet lead to two, Keith Gabriel found an open Sparks in the left corner for the deciding three-pointer, which would seal the home team's victory.
In addition to Okoye, Gabriel added 24 of his own, 16 of which came in the first half. Sparks added 11 and Nick Gore had 10, while De La Rosa led UMBC with his double-double, 17 points and 10 assists.
VMI jumped out to a 12-3 lead early, sparked by seven Gore points. UMBC committed five early turnovers to help the Keydet push, and that margin grew to double-digits, 17-7, when Gabriel hit a three-pointer with 13:20 left in the half. The struggles continued for the visitors, as the Retrievers started 0 for 5 at the free throw line and the Keydet margin went to 23-8 at the 11:15 mark, as Stan Okoye converted a hoop to bump the lead to 15.
After the Keydets went ahead 25-10, following two Gabriel free throws, UMBC launched an 11-0 run to get back in the game. Four different UMBC players scored in a push capped by a Chandler Thomas basket, cutting the lead to 25-21 with 7:47 left in the period.
VMI scored the next six points, including an electrifying Gabriel dunk at the 6:37 mark, to reassume a 10-point margin, 31-21, but the visitors came right back. Chase Plummer and De La Rosa combined for 14 of 16 points in a 16-6 push, capped by the latter's three-point play with just 1:36 left in the half, and the Retrievers had pulled even, 37-37.
The visitors were not done, however, as after two Okoye free throws, Plummer split a pair of his own. De La Rosa then got the ball on the half's final possession, and was able to draw a foul call against Rodney Glasgow. The UMBC guard converted both free throws, giving the Retrievers their first lead of the night, 40-39. That was the halftime score, as UMBC got 26 points from its bench en route to the one-point halftime lead.
Coming out of the locker room with the slimmest of margins, UMBC opened the half with a 15-5 run, capped by two free throws from Thomas. Chase Plummer had six points in the spurt, and the Retrievers held a 55-44 edge at the 16:22 mark. That was when VMI came roaring back, launching a 13-2 run behind the play of Okoye. After five straight points by Sparks cut the lead to six, UMBC scored to push it back to eight, 57-49.
Okoye then took over, scoring seven of the game's next nine points to propel the Keydets to a 57-57 tie with 12:42 remaining. The teams then volleyed the lead for several moments, posting tied scores at 59-all and 61-apiece, before Okoye scored on a driving layup to put VMI ahead, 63-61, with 9:42 remaining. The advantage was the Keydets' first of the second half, and they would not fall behind the rest of the way.
The remainder of the contest was a bit adventurous, however. The Keydets went up by six, 69-63, after Burks scored with 7:16 to go, but De La Rosa brought the Retrievers back even at 4:58, after he hit a triple to cap a 7-1 run and tie the score, 70-70.
Sparks hit a three-pointer at the other end, but a Quentin Jones three-point play tied the game again, 73-73, with 3:33 to go. That would be the final tie of the contest, as Okoye buried a jumper just nine seconds later, and Jarid Watson blocked De La Rosa's attempt to deadlock the game at the other end. Gabriel scored to put VMI up four, 77-73, and after a UMBC free throw, the Keydet guard notched another spectacular dunk with 1:05 to go, giving the Keydets a five-point cushion and setting the stage for Sparks' eventual back-breaking three.
In addition to De La Rosa, Thomas had a strong game for the visitors, notching 23 points off the bench. UMBC outrebounded VMI 36-35, but the Keydets posted 25 points off 18 Retriever turnovers, helping them earn their third win of the year. It marks the third time in four years that VMI has had at least three wins after the season's first four games.
VMI basketball will return to action Wednesday evening, taking on the Ohio State Buckeyes at 7 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio. The game is scheduled to be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
Quotes - VMI Head Coach Duggar Baucom
"Stan Okoye was a man possessed. He led us the majority of the second half."
"We came out of the locker room and made a couple of bonehead plays, and they went up 11. Then, it became the Stan Okoye show."
"In the first half, we got some decent shots against their zone and just couldn't make them. We didn't shoot the ball really well from three, except for Michael Sparks, who hit that big one at the end, when it mattered."
"Keith Gabriel made an unbelievable play with one minute to go with that dunk."
"I was most pleased with our offensive rebounding. We were able to turn a lot of those into points."
