VMI Beats the Bulldogs

Saturday, February 27

Lexington, Va.

1 p.m.

The Citadel

10-21, 3-15

111

VMI

9-19, 4-13

Team	1	2	F
The Citadel	46	49	95
VMI	55	56	111

Photo by: V.L. Duffy

2/27/2016 12:01:00 PM | Basketball

Box Score

LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA - The Citadel basketball team (10-21, 3-15) dropped a road contest at VMI 111-95 on Saturday afternoon at Cameron Hall. Junior Brian White posted a season-high 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead five Bulldogs in double figures. White went 7-of-9 from the field vs. VMI and poured in 41 combined points in two games this week.

VMI shot 55.6 percent from the floor as a team on the Keydets' senior day to race out to a lead and earn the win. VMI's Q.J. Peterson led all scorers with 26 points and added 11 rebounds to secure a double-double. The Bulldogs forced just eight turnovers on Saturday, well under their season average of 17.4 per outing.

Senior point guard P.J. Boutte tallied 10 points and seven assists in the losing effort. He now has 175 assists on the season, which ranks second all-time in The Citadel history for a single campaign. Boutte needs just five more assists to break the record.

Senior Derrick Henry scored 15 points on Saturday and is 17 points shy of joining the 1000-point club entering the Southern Conference tournament. Freshman Matt Frierson and junior Warren Sledge added 10 points each. Sledge hit back-to-back three-pointers to help the Bulldogs open the game with a bang. The two teams traded buckets early as VMI held a slim 14-13 lead at the 13:50 mark.

The Keydets, fueled by a raucous home crowd, distanced themselves with a game-changing 15-4 run. Following a trey by Julian Eleby, VMI led 29-17 and maintained that edge despite White's ability to score inside and out. The junior made three three-pointers in the first half to keep the Bulldogs in it and had 11 points by halftime. VMI took a 55-46 advantage into the break.

The Keydets came out on fire to open the second half and built a 17-point lead with less than 14 minutes remaining. Three minutes later, Frierson drilled one of his two three-pointers to cut the Bulldogs' deficit to 11. VMI did enough down the stretch to prevent The Citadel from getting any closer and coasted to the 111-95 win.

With the regular season over, the Bulldogs now prepare for the 2016 Southern Conference tournament in Asheville, North Carolina, which runs March 4-7. Tickets are available through The Citadel ticket office. To purchase, call 843-953-DOGS or visit the McAlister Field House box office in person. For all the latest on The Citadel basketball, follow @CitadelHoops and stay tuned to CitadelSports.com.