LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI sophomore Keith Smith poured in a career-high 19 points, and the Keydets took control late in the second half to pull away from visiting Longwood 81-70 Saturday afternoon at Cameron Hall.
 
In a game that was within two points with just over 10 minutes to play, VMI (4-5) broke the game open with an 18-7 run en route to snapping Longwood's (3-6) three-game winning streak.
 
Keydet guard Greg Parham scored seven points during that five-minute, game-changing stretch to carry the baton for a high-scoring Keydet backcourt that combined for 66 points. Guards Smith, Austin Vereen (14 points) and Bubba Parham (11) all scored in double figures, while VMI sniped its way to 65 points outside of the paint.
 
VMI's game-breaking run began shortly after Longwood lost redshirt senior guard Charles Glover to a lower body injury with 14:07 remaining in the game. Longwood's third-leading scorer and top three-point shooter, Glover went down after getting tangled up with a VMI player, was helped to the bench by his teammates and did not return.
 
VMI held a slim 51-48 lead at the time of Glover's injury but went on to outscore Longwood 30-22 the rest of the way.
 
"We have some things to build off of," Gee said. "We really just lost some momentum there when Chuck [Glover] went out and Isaiah [Walton] got into foul trouble. We're just not good enough yet from the guard position to lose players of their caliber down the stretch and still come out on top."
 
VMI's guard contingent outpaced a pair of explosive efforts from Longwood's own backcourt tandem of B.K. Ashe and Walton, who combined for 40 of Longwood's 70 points. Ashe finished with 21 points, while Walton – the Big South's No. 3 scorer – was on his way to a 20-point night of his own before fouling out for the first time this season with more than two minutes left in the game.
 
"Walton was fantastic in the first half; he really played hard, but then the foul trouble got to him," said Gee of his leading scorer. "That got him out of rhythm, and he got frustrated. There were some tough calls, which is life sometimes, but I thought [his foul trouble] was really a key to the game. He was set to have a big night, and the fouls really dictated otherwise."
 
VMI was able to put a lid on both Ashe and Walton over the game's final seven minutes, holding the duo scoreless the rest of the way. With those two held in check, the Keydets nickeled and dimed Longwood from the free throw line the rest of the way, hitting 7-of-10 charity shots to keep the game in hand.
 
Despite the loss and Glover's injury, Longwood received a boost with the return of fourth-year team captain Damarion Geter, who came back from a three-game injury hiatus to score a career-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor. Geter, who has started all six games he has played this season, is on pace to set career highs in scoring and rebounding this season and adds depth to a frontcourt that also saw junior Chris Shields record his second straight double-digit rebounding game Saturday.
 
Geter's return comes as Longwood heads into its final four-game stretch before the start of Big South play on Dec. 30. The Lancers conclude that non-conference gauntlet with an upcoming road game at Illinois this Wednesday, Dec. 13, followed by a home game against Cornell on Dec. 16 and back-to-back road games at No. 16 Arizona State on Dec. 19 and Grand Canyon on Dec. 21.
 
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