johnson vs citadel - 2025 socon tourney
Paul Bouis
62
The Citadel Cit 5-25,0-18 SoCon
73
Winner VMI VMI 14-18,7-11 SoCon
The Citadel Cit
5-25,0-18 SoCon
62
Final
73
VMI VMI
14-18,7-11 SoCon
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
The Citadel Cit 27 35 62
VMI VMI 36 37 73

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

VMI tops The Citadel, advances to face UNCG Saturday

No. 10 VMI defeats Bulldogs three times this season for first time since 2014-15

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The VMI basketball team earned its first Southern Conference Tournament win in four years by defeating rival The Citadel by a 73-62 margin Friday night in the opening round of the 2025 SoCon Basketball Championships at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina.
 
With the win, the No. 7 seed VMI improves to 14-18 on the season and advances to the quarterfinals to face No. 2 seed UNCG Saturday at 2:30 p.m.  The Citadel ends their season with a 5-25 overall record and winless in conference play.
 
Significant Win
* The win marked VMI's 14th victory of the season – 10 more than a year ago – as the Keydets defeated The Citadel for the third time during the 2024-25 campaign
* It marked VMI's first SoCon Tournament win since defeating Furman in the opening round of the 2021 SoCon Tournament and was also VMI's first time ever beating The Citadel in Asheville
* The victory marked VMI's first time defeating The Citadel three times in a single season since the 2014-15 campaign when the schools met at each other's location in addition to a neutral game at West Point, New York, for the 2014 All-Military Classic
* The win tipped the all-time series back in VMI's favor as the Keydets now hold a 63-62 advantage
 

 
VMI Head Coach Andrew Wilson
"I'm an unbelievably proud coach right now. Our program has been through a lot. This is the first tournament victory for VMI in a long time and it's a big step for us. We started off a big clunky – our guys were a little nervous at first – but we were able to battle through that. Our defense is something that we've relied on all season. It's different and it causes problems for other teams. It helped us hang in there until we could get our footing.
 
"Tan (Yildizoglu) bailed us out, especially in the first half. We were struggling offensively, but he made some great drives to the basket. TJ (Johnson) got going in the second half with some big shots. Things got interesting at the end, and I didn't think they had to, but at this point it's survive and advance.  I'm proud of the guys in our program and it's a big step for us tonight."
 

 
Game Summary
After both teams started the game a bit cold, the Keydets caught fire and ended up shooting nearly 60 percent (.592) from the field by converting 29 of 49 shot attempts.  The Keydets were effective in penetration by knocking down 22 of 30 attempts from two-point range and hit seven of 19 three-pointers, including four by sophomore TJ Johnson, who finished with 16 points.
 
Fellow sophomore Tan Yildizoglu scored a game-high 17 points – his third highest total of the season – as he went 7-12 from the field including one from beyond the arc.
 
The Citadel struggled from the floor, finishing .373 overall and just .217 on three-point attempts. The Bulldogs were led by Brody Fox, who finished with 15 points on the night. The Citadel was able to keep the game in check in the opening half by scoring 11 of its points off of seven VMI turnovers.
 
Every starter made at least 50 percent of their field-goal attempts for VMI. Rickey Bradley (13 points) and AJ Clark (10), also scored in double figures for the Keydets.
 

 
Up Next
The Keydets face No. 2 seed UNCG Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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