LEXINGTON, Va. – Nicholas Robinson recorded the third triple-double in Western Carolina's NCAA Division I men's basketball era with 19 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists, but VMI used a late run to earn a 76-69 win inside Cameron Hall on Friday night in Southern Conference action.
 
The Keydets rallied from a 13-point, second half deficit and ended the game with 11-consecutive points over the game's final three minutes to thwart WCU's bid for a second-consecutive win.
 
Robinson is the first Catamount to post a triple-double since Mason Faulkner accomplished the feat against Samford on Feb. 26, 2020, with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists. Faulkner posted WCU's first triple-double as a D-I program according to available records earlier that season against North Carolina A&T on Nov. 14, 2019, with a 13 point, 10 rebound, 10 assist performance.
 
Tyler Harris tallied a season-best 18 points, finishing one point shy of tying his career-best as he went 6-for-11 from the field including six 3-pointers. Joe Petrakis also finished in double figures with 17 points.
 
Jake Stephens paced VMI with a game-high 20 points followed by Trey Bonham with 19 and Honor Huff with 17. Stephens finished with a double-double after pulling down 12 rebounds.
 
VMI improves to 14-10 overall and 7-5 in the Southern Conference, WCU drops to 9-15 and 3-8.
 
A 3-pointer by Huff gave the Keydets an early 9-3 advantage at the 16:28 mark. Marcus Banks sank a 3-pointer on the next Catamount possession to bring WCU within three points as VMI's lead hovered between three and six points for the next five minutes. Following a Huff three-point play at the 9:42 mark that gave VMI a 22-16 lead, the Catamounts went on an 11-0 run for a 27-22 advantage after Harris made a 3-pointer with 6:04 left.
 
The Keydets chipped away at the Catamount lead, pulling within a pair thanks to a Stephens layup with just over two minutes left before WCU stretched its lead back to five points, 41-36 at halftime. WCU made 10 3-pointers in the opening stanza.
 
WCU opened the second half with a five-point spurt, pushing their lead to 46-36 thanks to a Petrakis dunk with 16:55 to go. Harris' 3-pointer at the 15:17 mark gave the Catamounts their largest lead of the game at 13 points, 52-39. A Madison Monroe bucket put WCU ahead 54-42 with 11:46 left before the Keydets used a 16-3 run capped by a Curfman 3-pointer to grab a one-point, 58-57 lead with 7:12 to play.
 
Robinson halted the Keydet run with a bucket on the next WCU possession and the Catamounts pulled out to a 69-65 lead on a Harris 3-pointer with 3:23 to go. However, Bonham started VMI's decisive 11-0 run for the Keydets on a layup with 2:53 remaining and WCU missed its final seven shots from the field down the stretch.

The Catamounts return to Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center on Monday night, welcoming UNCG in a rescheduled contest at 7 p.m.
 
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