VMI Falls to Longwood's Hot Shooting, 110-89

Men's Basketball VMIKeydets.com

VMI Falls to Longwood's Hot Shooting, 110-89

LONGWOOD, Va. – The Longwood Lancers shot 50 percent from three-point range, making 20 treys overall, and Tristan Carey's 30 points led six players in double figures as Longwood bested the VMI Keydets, 110-89 Monday evening at Longwood's Willett Hall in Farmville, Va.

Longwood (4-6) made its first five shots, including three by Carey, to race out to a 13-2 lead in the opening moments. VMI (5-6) responded with a 7-0 spurt, cutting the lead to 13-9 with the game still less than three minutes old, but the homestanding Lancers came back with a 8-2 push, giving them a 10-point lead. Longwood would lead by double digits for the remainder of the contest, as the Lancers earned their first win over VMI since Nov. 30, 1982.

The Lancers blistered the nets in both halves, but especially in the first 20 minutes, hitting 22 of 39 (56.4 percent) in the first half. That included 12 of 21 (57.1 percent) from beyond the three-point line, as Carey scored 26 of his game-high 30 in that period. Martiz Washington added 20 overall, while Jeremiah Bowman scored 19.

VMI was led by Jordan Weethee, who notched a career-high 19 points, while Keith Gabriel added 15. Gabriel also finished with seven rebounds, one short of his career-high, while Rodney Glasgow dished out seven assists. Over the past three games, Glasgow has averaged seven assists per contest.

Washington got the game-opening run underway for Longwood, hitting a three-pointer on the Lancers' first possession. After the opening exchange of spurts, Longwood held a 21-11 lead at the 15:23 mark, following a three-pointer by Bowman. Over that first 4:37 of action, the Lancers hit five of seven three-point attempts to take the early advantage.

The home team then gradually stretched its cushion. A three-pointer by Carey at the 10:50 mark made it 33-16, but VMI came back with a 6-0 run, thanks to back to back triples by Weethee and Ron Burks, cutting the margin to 33-22. The Lancers then went on the march again, with Carey hitting two triples in a 1:15 span to stretch the lead back to 17, 41-24.

The Keydets got no closer than 13 over the remainder of the half, with Longwood taking a 20-point cushion with 1:06 left, 58-38, but Quinton Upshur hit a three-pointer in the closing moments to make the halftime score Longwood 58, VMI 41.

The teams traded baskets in the opening seconds of the second half, making it a 60-43 game, but Longwood then put together an 8-0 run to take a game-high 25-point lead, 68-43. That advantage came with 18:04 remaining, and the Keydets could not get closer than 18 the rest of the way, despite shooting 48.5 percent from the field in the second half. Weethee had 12 of his 19 points in the second half to pace the Keydets, while Jan van der Kooij of Longwood had 12 points and nine rebounds to lead his squad.

Both van der Kooij and Antwan Carter had double-doubles for the Lancers, while for VMI, Upshur posted his third straight game in double figure scoring, notching 11 points and adding four rebounds. Ron Burks added 10 points for the Keydets. Longwood finished at 53.1 percent from the field (43 of 81) and hit 20 three-pointers, while VMI drilled 11 from deep and was 31 of 68 (45.6 percent) overall.

VMI basketball will now break for exams before returning to action December 22, traveling to Norfolk, Va. to face the Old Dominion Monarchs. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Ron Burks

#15 Ron Burks

F
6' 4"
Senior
Keith Gabriel

#21 Keith Gabriel

G
6' 4"
Senior
Rodney Glasgow

#1 Rodney Glasgow

G
5' 10"
Sophomore
Quinton Upshur

#2 Quinton Upshur

G/F
6' 5"
Freshman
Jordan Weethee

#40 Jordan Weethee

F
6' 6"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Ron Burks

#15 Ron Burks

6' 4"
Senior
F
Keith Gabriel

#21 Keith Gabriel

6' 4"
Senior
G
Rodney Glasgow

#1 Rodney Glasgow

5' 10"
Sophomore
G
Quinton Upshur

#2 Quinton Upshur

6' 5"
Freshman
G/F
Jordan Weethee

#40 Jordan Weethee

6' 6"
Freshman
F