yildizoglu at wcu
80
Winner VMI VMI 11-12,5-5 SoCon
76
Western Caro. WCU 6-15,2-8 SoCon
Winner
VMI VMI
11-12,5-5 SoCon
80
Final
76
Western Caro. WCU
6-15,2-8 SoCon
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
VMI VMI 37 34 9 80
Western Caro. WCU 34 37 5 76

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Nathanial Barbee, VMI Athletic Communications

Keydets roll past Catamounts in overtime

VMI last won three straight road conference games during 1997-98 season

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – VMI Basketball starts off the month of February strong by picking up an 80-76 overtime victory over Western Carolina on Saturday at the Ramsey Center.

The Keydets (11-12, 5-5 SoCon) have won five of their last six league games including back-to-back road victories in the Carolinas this week. With the win, this marks the first triumph in Cullowhee since February 2020 and the first overtime victory of the season. The last time VMI won three straight Southern Conference road contests occurred during the 1997-98 season when the Keydets defeated Georgia Southern, Davidson and Western Carolina in early January of 1998. VMI was a member of the Big South Conference from 2003 to 2014 and last won three straight conference road games during the 2010-11 season.

Key Stats
- Keydets shot 41% from the field and 36.4% from downtown.
- VMI made 18 free throws off 22 attempts, just under 82%.
- Rickey Bradley, Jr. posted a team-leading 23 points while going 6-13 from the field and 8-8 from the charity stripe for his seventh 20+ point outing.
- Bradley also nabbed a team-high eight boards.
- Augustinas Kiudulas recorded 21 points and eight rebounds while shooting 8-16 from the floor.
- Kiudulas has secured nine 20+ point games and has scored double figures in seven of the last eight contests.
- Also scoring in double digits was TJ Johnson with 16 points, going 4-8 from deep, and Tan Yildizoglu with 10 points and a team-high five assists.
- There were 20 lead changes and nine ties during the game.
- Keydets scored 21 points off 14 Catamount turnovers.
- VMI moves to 7-0 when scoring 80 or more points in a game
 

Scoring Summary
Despite going down 6-2 out the gate, VMI picked up the pace by scoring 11 of the next 19 points to go up 13-10. The Keydets grew their lead to four thanks to a triple from Johnson and a jumper from Kiudulas, 20-16. However, the Catamounts were able to swing the momentum and recapture the lead, 34-31. VMI closed out the half after back-to-back threes from Johnson and Linus Holmström to make it 37-34 at the break.
 
The Keydets exploded out of halftime, posting a 10-0 run before the Catamounts could score their first points of the half. After holding its largest lead of the game at 47-34, VMI watched WCU inch closer with an eight-point swing, cutting the lead to just five. Despite the surge, the Keydets continued to roll in the second frame, holding at least a five-point advantage through the eight-minute media timeout.
 
After a trio of threes and a layup, WCU was back within one, 67-66, with just two minutes remaining in regulation. VMI was able to extend after Bradley, Jr. sinked two free throws but the Catamounts' offense rushed the floor on repeating possessions to flip the script and go up 71-69. With 48 seconds left, Kiudulas rolled to his left and took a hook shot that got a friendly bounce through the iron, tying the game and forcing overtime.
 
Yildizoglu kicked off overtime with a driving layup before WCU scored two straight buckets, taking a 75-73 lead with two minutes left. VMI retaliated with three made free throws split between Bradley, Jr. and AJ Clark to flip to score, 76-75. The Keydets' defense held strong at the end, preventing a pair of potential game-changing shots from going in. Johnson and Kiudulas iced the game with perfect free throw attempts.
 
Next Up for the Keydets
The Keydets return to Cameron Hall for a pair of games next week. VMI starts the homestand with a midweek matchup against East Tennessee State on Wednesday at 6 p.m. before hosting The Citadel on Saturday at 1 p.m. Wednesday's contest will be Girls and Women in Sports Day while Saturday's game will be a Black Out. Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.
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