Samford Bulldogs vs VMI Keydets
Stephens scores 24 to carry VMI over Samford 96-78 in SoCon
ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Jake Stephens went 6-for-7 shooting from 3-point range and scored a career-high 24 points as ninth-seeded VMI beat eighth-seeded Samford 96-78 in the first game of the Southern Conference tourney on Friday.
Greg Parham scored 16 points for the Keydets (9-23), Travis Evee added 15, Kamdyn Curfman 14 points and Myles Lewis 13.
The Keydets were 11 of 20 behind the arc in the first half for a 52-30 lead and were 18 of 38 for the game.
VMI faces top-seeded East Tennessee State in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Brandon Austin scored 20 points for the Bulldogs (10-23) and Josh Sharkey added 19 points and 10 assists. Robert Allen had 17 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.
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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
Game Information
Asheville, NC
Referee:Tony Greene
Referee:Vladimir Voyard-Tadal
Referee:Matt Potter
2025-26 Standings
| Southern Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Tennessee State | 13-5 | - | 23-11 |
| Mercer | 11-7 | 2 | 19-13 |
| Wofford | 11-7 | 2 | 19-13 |
| Samford | 11-7 | 2 | 18-14 |
| Furman | 10-8 | 3 | 22-13 |
| Western Carolina | 10-8 | 3 | 15-16 |
| UNC Greensboro | 9-9 | 4 | 15-19 |
| Chattanooga | 7-11 | 6 | 13-19 |
| The Citadel | 7-11 | 6 | 11-22 |
| VMI | 1-17 | 12 | 6-26 |
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