ROCK HILL, S.C. - Rodney Glasgow gave VMI the lead on a jumper with 1:19 to go, and Austin Kenon drained an outside shot with 27 seconds remaining to seal the victory as the VMI Keydets defeated the Winthrop Eagles 89-85 Saturday night in Rock Hill, S.C. to close out the regular season for both teams.

With the win, the Keydets earn the #4 seed in next week's Big South Championship tournament, and will host a first-round contest for just the second time since joining the conference. VMI will face Winthrop, whose loss dropped them into the #5 slot for the tournament. That game will begin Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Cameron Hall, and will be just the third postseason game played in Lexington since the 1977-78 season.

On this night, Kenon led VMI with 29 points, while freshman center D.J. Covington added 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, his second career double-double. The Keydets finish the regular season at 17-12, the second-most wins the squad has posted since 1995-96, when VMI won 18 games, and also the second-most wins the team has had since joining the Big South (24 in 2008-09).

The Keydets held a slim lead for much of the second half, but Winthrop retook the advantage on a basket by Matt Morgan with 8:23 left, 73-72. That was part of a 6-0 run that allowed the home team to go up by five, 77-72, with 7:22 to go. VMI tried to fire back, but the Eagles would finally stretch it to six after a pair of free throws by Andre Jones with 3:09 remaining, 84-78.

Winthrop scored just one point the rest of the way, as VMI closed the game on an 11-1 run from that point on. Kenon got it started with a pair of free throws with 2:56 left, and then drilled a game-tying three-pointer exactly a minute later. Morgan hit a free throw to give WU the lead once again, setting the stage for Glasgow's floater in the lane, the shot that gave VMI the lead for good.

The opening moments of Saturday's contest saw back-and-forth play, with neither team gaining a decided edge until Winthrop marched to a 16-9 lead, thanks to a 7-0 run that was capped at the 14:40 mark. The lead grew to nine three minutes later, thanks to a Gideon Gamble three-pointer, and hit double digits when Gamble hit another trey, giving his team a 30-18 cushion with 10:17 left in the opening half.

WU would grab its biggest lead of the night with 5:55 left until halftime, when Reggie Middleton scored after a missed dunk by Covington. That basket gave the home team a 40-27 lead, and that advantage was matched 2:22 later after two Justin Burton free throws, 45-32.

The Keydets proceeded to close the half on a 14-4 run, started by a Keith Gabriel jumper and seven straight points from Kenon. Michael Sparks hit a trey as time expired on the opening period, capping the run and sending VMI to the locker room down only three, 49-46.

VMI was led in the first half by Kenon, who had 15 points, while Stan Okoye and Covington chipped in 10 markers apiece. The Keydets shot 45.5% from the floor, and were helped by going 10 of 11 from the foul line.

The visitors started the second half on a 9-2 run, capped by another Sparks triple that gave VMI its first lead since the opening moments, 55-54, with 15:42 to play. From there, the teams traded the lead four times in the next 2:26, until Covington gave the Keydets the edge once again, 60-59.

The freshman's hoop came with 13:16 left, although they never led by more than three points, VMI would not trail again until Morgan's hoop with 8:23 to go, setting the stage for the closing moments.

In addition to Covington and Kenon, Okoye and Gabriel added 15 and 12 points respectively, while Sparks helped the Keydet cause with six rebounds and his two crucial three-pointers. The visitors shot 51.9% in the second half, and won despite hitting just nine three-pointers, marking just the ninth game this year in which VMI has hit less than 10 trey's. In the previous eight contests, VMI had been just 2-6.

Winthrop had six players in double figures, paced by Andre Jones' double-double of 19 points and ten rebounds.

Saturday's win marked only the second victory this season during which VMI trailed at the half. It was also the first win this season for the Keydets when they trailed with five minutes remaining.

VMI Head Coach Duggar Baucom -

"Three weeks ago, that was a long ride home from Coastal Carolina, we were sitting at 5-8 in the league and everybody had written us off and we had some rough practices the first part of the week, but we got back to defense and the guys got after it really hard. They responded and put together five straight. It's really amazing what they have done over the last three weeks."

"Rodney hit a big floater for us and DJ (Covington) - what can you say - 17 points and 13 rebounds. We've been joking that Austin Kenon has been having a bunch of senior nights. He had 39 in our last game at Cameron, then hit some shots two nights ago, and then 29 tonight."

"I thought the guys did a great job of switching defenses. We tried to keep them off-balance a little bit and not get into a steady flow. We did a good job in our pressure and forced some timely turnovers that helped us and we locked up and guarded and got some rebounds. Winthrop is very strong. They are a first class team and used to winning in this building."

"I really would like encourage everyone to come out and support us on Tuesday. They are a wonderful bunch."      

A message from the VMI ticket office appears below regarding basketball's return to action Tuesday night.

From the VMI Ticket Office -