VMI Basketball Pulls Epic Comeback to Upset Furman in SoCon Tournament Quarterfinals

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Things weren’t looking good for the VMI basketball team midway through the second half on Saturday night against Furman in the SoCon Tournament Quarterfinals. The sixth-seeded Keydets trailed for most of the contest and were down 15 to the third-seeded Paladins with less than 10 minutes to play. By the time the 3:18 mark hit, they still trailed by double-digits (80-70) and had a mere 3.7 percent chance to win, per ESPN. This team didn’t quit, though. Instead, they turned up the temperature on defense and leaned on their stars, Greg Parham and Jake Stephens. The pair scored 10 straight points in the final few minutes — including a game-tying three from Stephens with 33 seconds left — to force overtime, where they eventually escaped with a 91-90 comeback victory.

In overtime, it was senior Myles Lewis who went to another level. The senior scored the first six points of overtime for the Keydets, including a crucial steal-to-layup combination (below) that gave VMI an 86-82 lead. Parham hit a jumper moments later to extend the Keydets’ lead to 88-82. VMI was able to ward off a late-game push by Furman with smart defense and clutch free throws.

VMI had five players finish in double figures, highlighted by 25 from Stephens and 21 from Parham. Trey Bonham had 14 off the bench while Lewis finished with 13. Sean Conway rounded out the double-digit VMI scorers with 12, and also added 12 rebounds.

The Keydets will now play No. 7 Mercer in the SoCon Tournament semifinals, their first appearance in almost two decades. Mercer is coming off an upset of their own, beating No. 2 Samford. After the game, head coach Dan Earl had a message before the team broke it down: “Why not us?”

https://twitter.com/VMI_Basketball/status/1368417151305084929

The other two teams remaining in the SoCon Tournament are top-seeded UNC Greensboro and No. 5 East Tennessee State.

VMI and Mercer will play at 7:30 p.m. ET tomorrow (Sunday) on ESPNU. UNC Greensboro and ETSU will play right before them (also on ESPNU). All games are being played in Asheville, NC.