LEXINGTON, Va. — The Citadel (5–14, 2–4 SoCon) defeated VMI (6–13, 1–5 SoCon), 82–68, Saturday night at Cameron Hall, tying the all-time series at 63–63 in the 126th meeting between the two programs.
Braxton Williams led the Bulldogs in scoring with 22 points, marking his fourth 20-point performance in the last five games. Williams has reached double figures 11 times this season, and over his last five contests he has totaled 97 points while shooting 16-of-36 (.444) from three-point range and a perfect 15-of-15 at the free throw line.
VMI opened the scoring with a three-pointer, but The Citadel answered with consecutive Williams threes to take the lead and did not trail for the remainder of the contest. The Bulldogs built a double-digit margin in the first half and pushed the advantage to 39–21 with 3:16 remaining before halftime following a three-pointer by Christian Moore. The Citadel carried a 47–34 lead into the break after shooting 53.8 percent from the field and knocking down seven three-pointers in the opening period.
VMI made a push early in the second half and cut the deficit to seven at 54–47 with 12:56 remaining, but The Citadel responded with a Marcos Gonzales three-pointer at the 8:12 mark to stretch the lead back to 66–52. The Keydets later closed within nine at 72–63 with 2:25 left, but the Bulldogs sealed the win at the free-throw line, going 10-of-12 over the final 3:02.
Christian Moore finished with 10 points to eclipse the 500-point plateau for his career. Moore now has 509 points in 58 games at The Citadel and has produced multiple three-point field goals in seven of the last eight games while reaching double figures in scoring 10 times this season.
Marcos Gonzales recorded 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals while logging a season-high 28 minutes, his most action since playing 27 minutes against North Greenville on Nov. 19. Eze Wali scored 11 points in 14 minutes while connecting on 9-of-10 free throws, marking his fifth double-figure scoring performance of the season. Sola Adebisi pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and added two blocks, extending his streak of games with at least one blocked shot to nine.
Carter Kingsbury did not play in the second half due to an injury. In 14 minutes, he totaled seven points, four rebounds and one assist and has made at least one three-point field goal in eight of the past nine games.
The Citadel finished the game shooting 46.0 percent (23-of-50) from the field, 45.0 percent (9-of-20) from three-point range and 84.4 percent (27-of-32) at the free-throw line. The Bulldogs scored 38 points off the bench and held a 16–9 edge in points off turnovers.
TJ Johnson led VMI with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while AJ Clark scored 13 points and Mario Tatum Jr. added 12.
The Citadel returns home Wednesday, Jan. 21, to host Furman in Southern Conference play. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at McAlister Field House.
KEY NOTES
- A season-high 27 free throws were made on 32 attempts (84.4 percent), the most made in a game since Dec. 19, 2020, at Longwood
- Eze Wali made nine free throws, the most by a Citadel player in a game this season
- The Bulldogs' bench accounted for 38 points, compared to 20 for VMI
- Points off turnovers favored the Bulldogs, 16–9
- Fourteen assists were recorded on 23 made field goals by the Bulldogs
- The Bulldogs outscored VMI 21–10 in bench points in the first half
- Five steals and two blocks were recorded by The Citadel
- A 38–27 rebounding advantage favored the Bulldogs
- The road victory marked the Bulldogs' first road win since a 65–45 victory at Notre Dame on Dec. 19, 2023
