LEXINGTON, Va. - The VMI Keydets used a 22-5 second half run to break open a close game and defeat the Central Penn Knights, 109-86, in basketball action Thursday night at Cameron Hall in Lexington, Va.
With the Keydets (4-5) nursing a three-point lead with 15:35 to go, Keith Gabriel scored on back to back soaring dunks to push the margin to seven. CPC (6-8) scored on its next possession, but Michael Sparks hit a trey to make it a nine-point game, and the home team never looked back en route to the victory.
VMI fell one point short of placing seven players in double figures, as the Keydets were paced by Stan Okoye, who had 22 points, including 13 in the second half. Sparks added a season-high 16, and Rodney Glasgow had 15 points and 10 assists, marking VMI's first double double of the season. The assist total was just one shy of Glasgow's career-high of 11, set last year against the Knights.
Devon Dorsey of Central Penn led all scorers with 26 points and 12 boards, helping the visitors stay within four at halftime, but VMI shot 56.8% from the field in the second half and used 22 turnovers over the final 20 minutes to ensure the win.
The first half was a back and forth affair, with the Keydets maintaining the lead for the majority of the opening period. VMI jumped out to a 10-9 lead early behind six points by Sparks, and that advantage grew to 10, 25-15, after a Glasgow three at the 11:19 mark.
Central Penn, however, rallied back on multiple occasions, and after staying close, cut the lead down to three, 41-38, with 2:08 left in the first half. The Keydets were able to push that back to four, 46-42, at halftime, but a 4 for 22 effort (18.2%) from three-point range harmed VMI's efforts.
Both teams shot 18 for 44 (40.9%) in the opening 20 minutes, with the Keydet effort inside the three-point line standing at 14 for 22 (63.6%). Dorsey led all scorers in the first half, notching 15 points for the Knights, while Sparks led VMI with 10. There were six lead changes and two ties in the first half.
The Knights' Montez Lacy scored first in the second half, making it 46-44, and the teams then traded baskets to maintain that margin. After a Gabriel three-point play and a Dorsey hoop made it a three-point game, VMI extended its margin with a 6-2 run, capped by an Okoye layup at the 16:24 mark. CPC came right back, however, scoring four straight to make it a three-point contest, 57-54, and set the stage for the game-deciding run.
Nick Gore capped the push with a dunk at the 10:25 mark, making it a 79-59 game and giving the Keydets their first 20-point lead of the night. The lead gradually increased, going over 25 on a Gabriel dunk with 7:41 left, and after a small CPC run cut it back to 22, 94-72, VMI went on a 10-3 run to take a game-high 29-point lead, 104-75.
Sparks hit a triple to give the Keydets that margin with 2:51 to play, but the Knights were able to outscore VMI 11-5 over the remainder of the game to account for the final margin.
In addition to Sparks, Glasgow and Okoye, Gore had 10 and Quinton Upshur had his first career double-figure scoring effort, notching 12 points and tallying five steals for the second time this season. Gabriel added 14 points, four assists, four steals and three blocks in the Keydet win.
VMI basketball will return to action Saturday, facing Milligan College at Cameron Hall. Tip time is set for 1 p.m.
Quotes - VMI Head Coach Duggar Baucom
"We had a little run in the second half and it was about time! We never had those in the first half. I thought Quinton Upshur brought us some energy and played really well, Stan Okoye was active inside and Michael Sparks hit some three's. I also thought Rodney Glasgow had his best floor game of the year. He didn't force anything, picked his spots when he was open and had 10 assists."
"We still aren't shooting the three well as a team, and I don't have an answer for that."
"We're just not really mature right now, with how we approach things. We should have had that second half mentality in the first half."
