tj johnson vs. wash. college
Randall K. Wolf

Men's Basketball

Basketball heads to Bellarmine for first road trip of season

LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Basketball looks to continue its momentum after Monday's big win over Washington College as the Keydets travel to Louisville, Kentucky, to face the Bellarmine Knights Saturday afternoon.
 
Tip-off is slated for a 3 p.m. start at Knights Hall and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Watch on ESPN+  |  Live Stats
 
 
QUICK HITS
* The Keydets face their first Division I opponent of the season after taking down Washington College, 103-54, Monday night
* Pacific transfer Tan Yildizoglu broke a VMI record with 15 assists in the season opener. He topped the previous single-game assists record of 14 - which stood for nearly 30 years - held by Bobby Prince against Western Carolina on January 14, 1995
* Indiana State transfer Augustinas Kiudulas scored a game-high 27 points in the season opener, a new career high
* Lipscomb transfer TJ Johnson logged a career-high 17 points in the season opener, including three treys
* After sitting out last season, redshirt freshman Walker Andrews registered 15 points in his Keydet debut
 
A win over Bellarmine would ...
-- Be the first win between the schools as they have never met
-- Be VMI's first 2-0 start since the 2013-14 campaign
-- Be VMI's first win in the season road opener since taking down UMBC in the second game of the 2010-11 season
 
Series History vs. Bellarmine
Saturday's contest marks the first ever meeting between the schools

About Bellarmine (0-1, 0-0 ASUN)
The Knights fought valiantly but ultimately came up short, falling 84-65 on the road to the VCU Rams on Monday night to begin the 2024-25 campaign.
 
Dezmond McKinney and Ben Johnson led the Knights with 15 points apiece in the loss while Jack Karasinski (11) and Billy Smith (9) were also significant contributors on offense.
 
Forward Curt Hopf paced the Knights in rebounds with five while contributing a team-high three assists and two steals.
 
Last Time Out: VMI 103, Washington College 54 - Nov. 4, 2024
Led by a school-record 15 assists by newcomer Tan Yildizoglu, the VMI basketball team earned a dominant 103-54 victory over visiting Washington College Monday night at Cameron Hall to open the 2024-25 season. Yildizoglu not only set a school single game assists record but also earned his first double-double at VMI by also registering 10 rebounds to go with four steals and two points on the night.
 
The Shoremen kept the game close for much of the opening half before the Keydets began to pull away with seven minutes before the half. VMI led 20-18 with 7:04 on the clock before going on a big run to go into the break with a 46-25 lead.
 

 
 
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Players Mentioned

Walker Andrews

#14 Walker Andrews

G
6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
Augustinas Kiudulas

#11 Augustinas Kiudulas

F
6' 8"
Sophomore
Tan Yildizoglu

#30 Tan Yildizoglu

G
6' 4"
Sophomore
TJ Johnson

#44 TJ Johnson

F
6' 6"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Walker Andrews

#14 Walker Andrews

6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
G
Augustinas Kiudulas

#11 Augustinas Kiudulas

6' 8"
Sophomore
F
Tan Yildizoglu

#30 Tan Yildizoglu

6' 4"
Sophomore
G
TJ Johnson

#44 TJ Johnson

6' 6"
Sophomore
F