Athletics
Sean Conway ’23 scored a career-high 28 points Saturday, Dec. 3, as the VMI men’s basketball team upset the U.S. Naval Academy 80-72 from Cameron Hall in non-conference play.
The victory is the first Division I win for Andrew Wilson, first-year VMI basketball head coach.
Navy (5-3) finished 21-11 in 2021–22 and advanced to the Patriot League Tournament finals. VMI earned just its second win in the 25-game all-time series, with the first win dating back to 2004. Throughout the game, the Keydets managed to dominate the hardwood with only seven players, as the remainder were missing due to illness or injury.
How it happened:
• The Keydets shot a sizzling 56% from the three-point range (14-25), including 6-7 from Conway and 4-5 from Tyler Houser ’26
• After trailing 9-2 to open the game, VMI outscored Navy 41-15 over the next 14 minutes to take a 43-24 edge just before intermission
• The Keydets opened a 20-point lead (52-32) with 17 minutes left in the game on a 3-pointer by Houser. Navy cut into the advantage and trailed by just six in the closing minutes, but VMI sealed the game from the free-throw line
• VMI committed seven turnovers on the afternoon, down from an average of 14.6 in the first eight games of the season
• Houser finished with 16 points and a career-high eight rebounds
• Devin Butler ’24 scored 13 points, hitting 3-of-6 from downtown
• Asher Woods ’26 netted 11 points, and Rickey Bradley Jr. ’26 had five points, five rebounds, and five assists
• Austin Inge led Navy with 21 points
• Tyler Nelson scored 15 points for the visitors, and Daniel Deaver snared a game-high 12 rebounds
Editor’s Note: This story first appeared at vmikeydets.com.
