chesley vs. navy
Chuck Steenburgh

Men's Basketball

VMI hits the road again to face Radford

Game Notes
 
LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI will face a familiar foe Tuesday night when the Keydets travel to take on Radford University at 7 p.m. at the Dedmon Center in Radford, Virginia.
 
As a former member of the Big South Conference, the Keydets (2-8) will take on the Highlanders (7-4) in their second-to-last non-conference game of the season.
 
Broadcast Information
VMI at Radford – Tuesday, Dec. 12 – 7 pm                             Watch on ESPN+  |  Live Stats
 
VMI vs. Radford Series History (22-22)
Tuesday's game marks the 45th all-time meeting between the schools with the series deadlocked at 22 wins apiece. A VMI win would mark the second straight over the Highlanders after claiming last season's game by a close 77-74 in front of the Corps at home on Dec. 10, 2022. The teams previously held a home-and-home in 2016 and 2017, both with Radford coming out victorious. Formerly a member of the Big South Conference, VMI faced the Highlanders with regularity as the Keydets earned two wins over Radford during the 2013-14 season, VMI's last year in the Big South.
 
QUICK HITS
* The Keydets are coming off a close 77-69 loss to American University this past Saturday
* VMI is one of the top rebounding teams in the Southern Conference, ranking second in rebounds per game (40.0),
including second in defensive (28.8) and fourth in offensive boards per game (11.2). The Keydets also rank fifth in
rebounding margin at 4.0.
* Taeshaud Jackson II is the primary force in rebounding, averaging 10.5 per game for second most in the SoCon
* Freshman Stephen Olowoniyi is second on the team in rebounding with 6.0 per game, 11th best in the league
* Junior Brennan Watkins ranks first in the league at .912 (31 of 34 free throws) from the charity stripe. He also ranks sixth in the SoCon in 3PT field goals/game (2.4) and ninth overall in the league individual standings in scoring (15.3)
 
A WIN OVER RADFORD WOULD ...
--- Be VMI's second straight win over the Highlanders
--- Tilt the all-time series in VMI's favor to move ahead 23-22
--- Be VMI's third win of the season and first Division I victory of the year
 
LAST TIME OUT - December 9, 2023 - American 77, VMI 69 - Lexington, Va.
    The VMI basketball team rallied from a 13-point second half deficit to pull within six late, but American University hung on for a 77-69 victory Saturday in non-conference play from Cameron Hall.
    Junior guard Brennan Watkins scored a game-high 20 points for the Keydets, his fifth game of 20 points or more this season and second-straight with exactly 20. American opened the game with an 11-0 run, but the Keydets chipped away and used a 9-0 spurt later in the half to go into intermission behind just 36-30
     Watkins started the second half out hot, netting VMI's first seven points and the Keydets opened a 42-41 lead after a Devin Butler three-pointer at the 13:05 mark. Watkins hit three three pointers and had 18 of his points in the second half. Stephen Olowoniyi compiled 11 points, just one short of his season best, and six rebounds in just 18 minutes of playing time.
 
LAST TIME vs. RADFORD- Dec. 10, 2022 - VMI 77, Radford 74 - Lexington, Va.
     Hoping for its third straight win overall and second in a row against Division I competition, the VMI basketball team earned a hard-fought 77-74 victory over in-state foe Radford University on Dec. 10, 2022, at Cameron Hall.
     VMI trailed by as many as 13 points late in the first half but fought back the rest of the way, earning a tie at 67-67 with 3:45 to play and its first lead at 71-69 at the 2:01 mark. The Keydets got up by six in the final seconds as the Highlanders could not manage to keep pace down the stretch.
     Five Keydets scored in double figures led by senior Sean Conway's game-high 23 points and six rebounds as five of his eight buckets were from beyond the arc.
 
 
 



 
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Players Mentioned

Devin Butler

#11 Devin Butler

G
6' 2"
Junior
Sean Conway

#30 Sean Conway

G
6' 5"
Senior
Brennan Watkins

#1 Brennan Watkins

G
5' 11"
Sophomore
Taeshaud Jackson II

#2 Taeshaud Jackson II

G
6' 4"
Freshman
Stephen Olowoniyi

#10 Stephen Olowoniyi

F
6' 8"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Devin Butler

#11 Devin Butler

6' 2"
Junior
G
Sean Conway

#30 Sean Conway

6' 5"
Senior
G
Brennan Watkins

#1 Brennan Watkins

5' 11"
Sophomore
G
Taeshaud Jackson II

#2 Taeshaud Jackson II

6' 4"
Freshman
G
Stephen Olowoniyi

#10 Stephen Olowoniyi

6' 8"
Freshman
F