Keydets Sweep The Citadel with 82-70 Win

The VMI basketball team earned a hard-fought 82-70 victory over rival The Citadel Feb. 8 at Cameron Hall to sweep the season series against the Bulldogs.

The Keydets (12-13, 6-6) move to .500 within league play at 6-6 and have now achieved two season sweeps against Southern Conference opponents as VMI has topped both The Citadel and Western Carolina in both contests this year. The Citadel falls to 5-18, 0-12 in conference play with the loss.

Game Summary

VMI and The Citadel played a tight contest for much of the opening half as VMI led by just a 30-27 tally with 4 minutes before the break. The Keydets went on a little run over the final stretch to build a 41-31 halftime advantage as Rickey Bradley Jr. ’26 and Linus Holmstrom ’28 converted three-pointers in that span to help the Keydets pull away.

The momentum fueled a great start to the second half in which VMI ballooned the lead to 21 at the 14:36 mark of the period following a Holmstrom layup and three-pointer.

The Bulldogs battled back to within seven points, however, at 68-61 following a Sola Adebisi breakaway dunk with 6:15 remaining to force a VMI timeout. VMI stayed the course and made enough baskets and free throws down the stretch to earn the 82-70 victory.

Key Stats

• Bradley finished with a game-high 23 points on the day, while four others scored in double figures, including Augustinas Kiudulas ’28 (11), T.J. Johnson ’28 (11), A.J. Clark ’25 (10), and Holmstrom (12).
• Bradley was just two boards away from a double-double as he also registered eight rebounds in the win.
• VMI created 11 The Citadel turnovers, which yielded 17 points off turnovers for the Keydets.
• The Keydets shot 87% from the free-throw line during the contest by converting 28 of 32 attempts.
• The Bulldogs earned 14 offensive rebounds on the day, resulting in 15 second-chance points.
• The Citadel was led by Christian Moore’s 17 points as he hit three treys on the day. Leading scorer Brody Fox registered 14 points during the game.

Editor’s Note: This article was first published on vmikeydets.com.