watkins vs. south dakota
81
VMI VMI 1-3,0-0 SoCon
85
Winner South Dakota SD 3-1,0-0 Summit L
VMI VMI
1-3,0-0 SoCon
81
Final
85
South Dakota SD
3-1,0-0 Summit L
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
VMI VMI 37 44 81
South Dakota SD 39 46 85

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Watkins nets career high in 85-81 loss to South Dakota

Gallery

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Led by Brennan Watkins' career high 29 points and five threes, the VMI basketball team employed a strong second-half push but came up just short in an 85-81 loss to South Dakota in the Desert Division opening game of the Arizona Tip-Off Friday afternoon at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
 
The junior from Kearney, Missouri, topped his previous career high of 25 points set in the season opener at Richmond last week as he matched his career-best five treys also set in the Richmond game.
 
With the win, the Coyotes (3-1) will advance to play in the Desert Division title game at 4:30 p.m. EST Saturday while VMI (1-3), will play in the third-place matchup Saturday at 2 p.m. against Northern Arizona.
 
The full bracket rundown of the inaugural Arizona Tip-Off can be found at its Tournament Central page.
 
Key Stats
*Watkins earned a career-high 29 points, including matching his career-high five treys
*Taeshaud Jackson II achieved his first double-double of the season by logging 11 points and 10 rebounds, his sixth career double-double
*Koree Cotton came within one point of his season high by logging 16 points on five baskets and going 5-6 from the charity stripe
*Stephen Olowoniyi (10) also scored in double figures
*Kaleb Stewart led South Dakota with 16 points while Lahat Thioune contributed 13
 
VMI Head Coach Andrew Wilson
"I was proud of our effort & resiliency today versus a good team. We had our chances, but credit to USD. The great thing about these tournaments is the quick turnaround. We are a work in progress, but I'm excited about the direction we are going."
 
Game Summary
The Keydets led 25-23 midway through the opening half but went on a scoreless drought lasting nearly three minutes that allowed South Dakota to go on a 7-0 run and grab an eventual 39-37 halftime lead.
 
VMI stayed closed over the initial 10 minutes of the second half, but the Coyotes earned its largest lead of the game at 66-53 at the 9:37 media timeout when VMI committed six turnovers over a 4:10 span the resulted in a scoring drought lasting 3:14 with no field goals. The Coyotes took advantage of the drought to go on a 14-2 over that span and hitting five of seven field goals to pull ahead by 13.
 
Koree Cotton ended the skid with a layup at the 8:26 mark, then DJ Nussbaum hit two straight buckets to pull VMI within nine at 70-61 with 6:40 left to play.
 
With 1:24 left in regulation and VMI trailing 80-73 following a pair of Cotton free throws, Watkins hit a three to cut the USD lead to four with 40 seconds to play as VMI hit seven of its last nine field goal attempts to trim the deficit to 80-76.
 
Following a pair of Coyote free throws, Watkins hit another three-pointer with 11 seconds on the clock to make the score 82-79.  The teams then exchanged fouls and free throws in the final moments as South Dakota hung on to win, 85-81, in the first ever contest between the schools.
 
Up Next
The Keydets take on Northern Arizona in the Desert Division Third-Place game on Saturday at 2 p.m. EST in Glendale, Arizona.





 
Print Friendly Version