ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 22, 1995 TAG: 9512220037
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LEXINGTON
SOURCE: FROM STAFF REPORTS
VMI SHAKES OFF pesky Eastern Mennonite in the second half.
Eastern Mennonite University was a royal pain for VMI in the first half Thursday night, but the Keydets regrouped in the second half to win going away, 91-62, at Cameron Hall.
Andre Quarles and Lawrence Gullette each scored 14 points to lead VMI (4-3). Jason Bell chipped in 13, and Bobby Prince had eight assists. (Box score in Scoreboard. C2)
In the first half, the visiting Royals (3-6) from Harrisonburg grabbed a seven-point lead at 22-15 with 10:27 remaining. VMI trailed until 1:43 remained when Bell made two free throws, giving the Keydets a 35-34 lead.
VMI then blew out EMU in the second half, outscoring the Royals 49-25.
``Give Eastern Mennonite credit, they played very, very hard and smart,'' said Bart Bellairs, VMI's coach. ``... When you stop and look at it, we could have lost the game. We played about 20 minutes of good basketball, and that's it.''
Troy Gerber paced the Royals, an NCAA Division III school, with 21 points, and Mike McElroy, a Parry McCluer High School graduate, added 12.
VMI's Matt Matheny, a freshman from Cave Spring High School, scored six points. His points came on two 3-pointers in the second half.
Bell, a reserve freshman guard from Dale City who played 15 minutes, scored nine of his 13 points in a two-minute span in the second half, helping push the Keydets' lead from 61-46 to 72-46. Bell also had five steals.
LENGTH: Short : 37 linesby CNB