HOMEWOOD, Ala. – Down by just two with five minutes left in the game, the VMI basketball team fell victim to costly turnovers and missed baskets as host Samford ballooned its lead to an 80-61 victory Thursday night at Pete Hanna Center in Homewood, Alabama.
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Tan Yildizoglu three-pointer with 5:09 left in regulation put the Keydets (6-24, 1-16) down by just two at 62-60, but a Jadin Booth trey on the other end gave the Bulldogs (17-13, 10-7) a final boost of momentum to finish the game strong and pull away for the win.
The Bulldog defense clamped down in the final minutes to cause three VMI turnovers and forced contested shots the Keydets could not convert into points. Samford's Keaton Norris also caught fire in the final moments to hit two big threes for the Bulldogs to help Samford slip away for the conference victory.
The contest featured eight ties and six lead changes as the host Bulldogs held on for the win.
VMI played strong defense throughout the course of the game and limited the league's leading scorer, Jadin Booth, to just 10 points and three treys. The Keydets recovered from a 0-10 deficit to start the game but were hampered by cold shooting throughout the contest by going 22-59 from the field (.373) and 7-31 from beyond the arc (.226).
Key Stats
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Tan Yildizoglu led the Keydets with 17 points on the night to go with seven rebounds and five assists
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TJ Johnson logged 11 points for VMI while freshman
Mario Tatum, Jr. also reached double figures with 10
*Samford's Dylan Faulkner earned a game-high 22 points and registered a double-double with 11 rebounds for the night.
*Norris hit five treys for Samford en route to 17 points while Cade Norris (12), Zion Wilburn (12) and Booth (10) also reached double digits scoring
*VMI played just two reserves in
Kaden Stuckey and
Mario Tatum, Jr. but still had more bench production with 16 points to Samford's 14
Up Next
The Keydets close the regular season Saturday afternoon with a 2 p.m. contest at Southern Conference foe Chattanooga in Chattanooga, Tennessee
