Keydets rally, come up short against Furman
 
LEXINGTON, Va. – Down 45-27 at the half, the VMI basketball team rallied to come within seven points with 7:45 left but visiting Furman made another late run to pull away for a 90-72 win over the Keydets Saturday afternoon at Cameron Hall.
 
With the loss, VMI falls to 6-21, 1-13 in league play while the Paladins improve to 17-10, 8-6 in conference. Hampered by injuries, the Keydets played with just seven healthy bodies in the loss.
 
Game Summary
The Paladins gradually built a 20-point lead with a little over two minutes before halftime following an Asa Thomas three to put Furman up, 45-25, for their largest lead of the game.
 
Thomas hit five threes in the opening half for 15 points over the 20 minutes toward a team-high 26 points. Charles Johnston added 11 points to help the Paladins to a dominant 18-point lead at the break, 45-27.
 
VMI's TJ Johnson kept the Keydets within reach as he knocked down four treys in the opening half for 14 points. He would ultimately finish with a game-high 26 points
 
In the second half, VMI's Linus Holmstrom caught fire and made three treys midway through to allow VMI to trail by just seven, 58-65, with 7:45 on the clock. Cooper Bowser and Alex Wilkins of Furman responded with timely baskets to again start a Paladin rally the VMI could not recover from down the final stretch.
 
Key Stats
*Furman's Asa Thomas hit a game-high six threes en route to 25 points while Bowser finished with 14. Charles Johnston logged a double-double for the Paladins with 11 points to go with 10 boards
* VMI's Tan Yildizoglu nearly earned a double-double for VMI as he finished with 13 points and nine rebounds
* Johnson finished with five threes during the game while Holmstrom had three 
* Holmstrom finished with 13 points while Cal Liston also ended up in double figures with 10  
*The Paladins outscored VMI 32-12 in the paint and won by a 12-5 margin in second-chance points
*After a rough first half, the Keydets matched the Paladins in scoring with 45 points apiece
 
Up Next
The Keydets travel to Spartanburg, South Carolina, for a league matchup with Wofford College Wednesday night