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Men's Basketball

Keydets Begin Road Swing Friday at Gardner-Webb

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LEXINGTON, Va. - The VMI basketball team will begin a three-game road swing to end of the month of December and will face former Big South Conference foe Gardner-Webb Friday in Boiling Spring, N.C. Tipoff will be noon.  The Keydets, (5-2) winners of their last three games, closed out their December home schedule last Tuesday with a 106-72 win over Campbellsville University-Harrodsburg (Ky.). The Keydets placed six in double figures scoring attaining their most points in a game this season and raised their Cameron Hall record to 5-0 matching the home start of the 2013-14 squad. After Friday's game, VMI travels to Fairfax, Virginia Monday to take on George Mason at 1 pm in their only scheduled clash against an A-10 team. The Keydets will break for the holidays and close out the month on December 30 against Samford in the Southern Conference opener in Birmingham, Alabama.
 
Last Time Out: VMI 106, Campbellsville-Harrodsburg 72
The VMI basketball team nailed 21 three-pointers Tuesday night in a 106-72 victory over visiting Campbellsville University Harrodsburg (Ky.) in non-conference play. The Keydets hit 50 percent (21-42) of their attempts from long distance, including 5-of-7 from Greg Parham. The senior guard scored a game-high 17 points and dished out five assists. Sean Conway was 5-of-8 from deep for 15 points while Trey Bonham had 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Myles Lewis contributed 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks, Kamdyn Curfman scored 11 points and netted three three-pointers and Jake Stephens had 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. The Keydets had six double figures scorers for second time this year. Tyrese Duncan paced the Pioneers with 15 points, hitting five three pointers.
 
Last Time against Gardner-Webb: Feb. 5, 2014
In a game that tied the longest in program history, the VMI Keydets made last-second shots to force the first overtime, the third overtime and a fourth extra period and went on to defeat the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs, 108-104, in a four-overtime classic in Big South basketball action Boiling Springs, N.C. It was just the second four-overtime game on record in VMI basketball history, joining a Feb. 1967 game against the Citadel. Gardner-Webb had a chance to seal the win in regulation, but point guard Tyler Strange made just one of two free throws with nine seconds to go. After the miss, the Keydets went the length of the court and Brian Brown drilled a fallaway three pointer as time expired, sending the contest to overtime. That was only the beginning of the marathon, however, as the teams managed just two points apiece in the first extra frame and went to a second OT, tied 75-all, when a QJ Peterson shot would not fall with five seconds to go. GWU again appeared on the verge of victory in that second OT, taking a four-point lead with 13 seconds left, but Peterson cut it to two with a quick layup and the Keydets fouled. Jerome Hill, who had been perfect at the line, split two free throws to make 88-85, but the home team fouled Peterson before VMI could get a shot away. The Big South's leading scorer made the first foul shot and intentionally missed the second. The ball clanged off the front rim, off a Gardner-Webb player and out of bounds, giving VMI another chance, and the Keydets took full advantage with a last second Rodney Glasgow-D.J. Covington lob for the tying score, sending the game to a third overtime knotted at 88. The teams traded 5-0 runs and baskets to start the third OT, but it was Runnin' Bulldog Naji Hibbert who drilled a jumper with three seconds on the clock again, put his team on the verge of victory, up 97-95. After a timeout for each team, the Keydets inbounded to Covington again. He found Tim Marshall cutting to the basket for a last-second lay-in, tying the score at 97-all and sending the contest on to yet another extra frame. The Keydets finally seized control in the fourth overtime, opening the period on a 7-0 run that included five Glasgow points to take a 104-97 lead. VMI put five players in double figures in the win, led by Covington's 28 points and 13 rebounds. Brown tied his career high with 22 points, while Glasgow added 21 points and 12 assists. Peterson chipped in 20, and all four of VMI's top scorers on the night played at least 54 of a possible 60 minutes, with Brown leading the pack at 59 minutes played. In addition, Covington (28/13/five blocks) and Glasgow (21/12/five steals) were the first teammates to post 20/10/5 nights in those stats in the same game, since the turn of the century, according to ESPN research. Gardner-Webb was led by Tyrell Nelson, who had 24 points and 25 rebounds off the bench.
 
A win over Gardner-Webb would:
---Be VMI's first road win of the season.
---Extend VMI's win streak to four games.
 
 
VMI vs. Gardner-Webb
This will be the 15th meeting between the teams that first met in 1970-71. VMI leads the rivalry 9-5. The Keydets and Bulldogs played six straight seasons when both school were members of the Big South Conference.
 
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
VMI posted several noteworthy marks in the 106-72 win over Campbellsville-Harrodsburg December 15. The Keydets accumulated assists on 41 baskets which tied for fifth in program history (Last time - vs. Stevenson Nov. 20, 2008). The 106 points scored was the most for the team since a 106-80 victory over Kentucky Christian University on November 20, 2018 and the second time in the last three outings that the Keydets reached the century mark. VMI's 21 threes tied for third most in a game in program history (Last time vs. Johnson Univ. Nov. 18, 2014).
 
LEWIS DECEMBER DOUBLE STREAK
Senior forward Myles Lewis had his string of three straight double-doubles end on Tuesday after 12 points and five rebounds against CU-Harrodsburg. Lewis earlier had posted 14 points and 11 rebounds Sunday against Hampton that followed 17 points and 10 rebounds against Greensboro College Dec. 8. Lewis started the string with 13 points and 12 rebounds in the Dec. 3 game at 16th ranked Virginia Tech. Lewis currently leads the Keydets on the boards averaging 9.2 per game which ranks fifth in the SoCon.
 
BONHAM BREAKS OUT
Freshman guard Trey Bonham has upped his point production over the last four games and has averaged 11.0 points over that span and hitting doubles figures scoring in all of those contests. Against Hampton December 13, Bonham scored a season-high 12 points – all in the second half- to help VMI to the win over the Pirates.
 
TOPS FROM THE STRIPE
VMI converted three of four free throw attempts in the December 15 win over Campbellsville-Harrodsburg which moved its team FT percentage to 79.6% through seven games – best in the SoCon.
 
CURFMAN ON TARGET
Sophomore guard Kamdyn Curfman drained a career-high tying five 3-point shots for the second time this season and fifth for his career against Hampton Sunday in a 17-point effort. He also tallied 17 points at Penn State November 28 and hit five shots from beyond the arc. Through seven games, Curfman is hitting 53.6% in 3-point shooting. 
 
STEPHENS STRONG AGAINST PIRATES
Junior center Jake Stephens posted his second career double-double with 11 points and a career-best 12 rebounds while also trying his career-high in blocks with four rejections against Hampton December 13. He logged a team best +21 against the Pirates in 35 minutes of action Sunday.
 
SEASON BEST SHOOTING
VMI's posted season highs in FG%, 3-point %, and FT% in its 100-65 win over Greensboro College December 8. Against the Pride, the Keydets fired 55% from the floor (33-60), 44.1% from beyond the arc (15-34) and 19 of 21 from the charity stripe. VMI also amassed a season high 26 assists on 33 made field goals.
 
CENTURY MARK REACHED
The 100 points scored by VMI against Greensboro College Tuesday night was the first time the Keydets had scored 100 points in a game since 106 were booked against Kentucky Christian at Cameron Hall on November 20, 2018.
 
PARHAM TOPS 20 AGAIN
Senior guard Greg Parham had a 20+ scoring game in back-to-back games for the first time in his career when he scored a season-high 22 points which included four 3-pointers Dec. 1 against Longwood. That was preceded with 21 points at Penn State Nov. 28. Through five games, Parham leads VMI in scoring averaging 15.6 points per game.
 
CONWAY CAREER-HIGH PACES KEYDETS IN LONGWOOD WIN
Senior guard Sean Conway scored a career-high 19 points including 12 in the second half, to lead VMI past Longwood 84-71 Dec. 1 at Cameron Hall. Conway also grabbed five rebounds and had three steals on the evening.
 
THREE SHOOTING SPREE EXTENDED?  
Keydet fans are hoping for a continuation of last season's formidable shooting from beyond the arc. VMI in 2019-20 ranked second in Division I in three-pointers made averaging 10.9 per game, second only to North Florida. VMI hit 18 three-pointers against Samford in the opening round of the SoCon tournament March 6 and for the season connected on 359 threes – third most on the school all-time list.
 
KEYDET CAPSULE LOOK
VMI returns 10 players from last year's roster including three starters. The 2020-21 roster consists of four seniors, two juniors, four sophomores, and five freshmen.
 
EARL ENTERS SIXTH SEASON
VMI head basketball coach Dan Earl enters his sixth season as head coach of the Keydets and is moving into some select company in the Keydet all-time coaching ranks. Earl joins Louis "Weenie Miller (1958-64) and Charlie Schmaus (1976-82) as coaches who reached six seasons at the helm. Only Joe Cantafio (1986-94), Duggar Baucom (2005-15) and Bart Bellairs (1994—05) had longer tenures as basketball head coach at the Institute.



 
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Players Mentioned

Sean Conway

#30 Sean Conway

G
6' 5"
Sophomore
Kamdyn Curfman

#10 Kamdyn Curfman

G
6' 1"
Sophomore
Myles Lewis

#15 Myles Lewis

G
6' 5"
Senior
Greg Parham

#5 Greg Parham

G
6' 4"
Senior
Jake Stephens

#34 Jake Stephens

C
6' 10"
Junior
Trey Bonham

#2 Trey Bonham

G
6' 0"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Sean Conway

#30 Sean Conway

6' 5"
Sophomore
G
Kamdyn Curfman

#10 Kamdyn Curfman

6' 1"
Sophomore
G
Myles Lewis

#15 Myles Lewis

6' 5"
Senior
G
Greg Parham

#5 Greg Parham

6' 4"
Senior
G
Jake Stephens

#34 Jake Stephens

6' 10"
Junior
C
Trey Bonham

#2 Trey Bonham

6' 0"
Freshman
G