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After building a 16-point lead midway through the first half, the Virginia Military Institute men’s basketball team had to fight hard in the second half to hang on to beat Southern Conference rival The Citadel 70-63 on Saturday afternoon at Cameron Hall in Lexington.
The victory was monumental for the Keydets (4-15 overall, 1-5 SoCon), as they earned their fourth victory of the season and first SoCon win of the year, snapping a five-game losing streak. It was also VMI’s 60th alltime win against the Bulldogs (8-11, 0-6). The win also marked VMI’s first Division I victory of the season and was a strong way to bounce back after the Keydets had suffered a 100-60 home loss to Furman (10-9, 4-2) last Wednesday.
“I’m so proud of our kids,” said VMI head coach Andrew Wilson. “We have faced a tremendous amount of adversity this season, and for them to step up versus our biggest rival is very special. The corps gave us the edge we needed and created a big-time college basketball environment.”
VMI made several three-pointers in the first 10 minutes of the game and jumped out to a 25-9 lead. Taeshaud Jackson II, Devin Butler, Tyran Cook and AJ Clark all converted treys, while The Citadel struggled from the field. The Bulldogs gradually cut into the deficit over the final nine minutes of the period to go into the half trailing by just six, 35-29.
The schools battled back and forth the rest of the game as VMI led 42-41 with 14:13 on the clock and 46-45 with 10 minutes to play. On five separate occasions, the Bulldogs got to within one point of the Keydets, as VMI held on to a 59-58 lead with 3:13 to go. The Citadel tied it back up at 59-59 at the 2:45 mark and earned its first lead of the game since the opening bucket, 60-59, after a Madison Durr free throw.
Brennan Watkins regained the lead for VMI off a three-pointer at the 1:55 mark, and freshman Stephen Olowoniyi upped the lead to 64-62 with a basket in the paint. Senior Devin Butler went 4-4 from the charity stripe in the final minute and Watkins iced the win with two final free throws to seal the 70-63 win for VMI.
Five Keydets scored in double figures Watkins led VMI with 14 points, Cook added 12 points, Butler scored 11 points, and Clark and Olowoniyi each chipped in 10. Nussbaum led VMI with six rebounds, and Watkins tied his career high with six assists.
Quentin Millora-Brown led The Citadel with 18 points, while Durr and AJ Smith each added 12 points.
The Keydets will continue SoCon action when they play host to East Tennessee State University tonight, Wednesday, at 6 at Cameron Hall. VMI will then travel to Cullowhee, N.C. to take on SoCon rival Western Carolina on Saturday at 5 p.m. For the Keydets’ schedule and updates, visit www.vmikeydets.com.
