LEXINGTON -- They had the temperature gauge cranked up Monday night at Cameron Hall. It was never a sweat for VMI's basketball team, though.

Riding some sizzling outside shooting from star Reggie Williams and twins Travis and Chavis Holmes, VMI barbequed Charleston Southern 109-85 in front of 1,236 approving witnesses.

Turning the struggling Big South visitors into toast immediately, VMI scored the game's first nine points. The Keydets were 16-of-32 from 3-point range -- the 16 3s in a half was a school record -- en route to a 68-35 cushion at intermission.

Williams, still hobbled by a deep left thigh bruise suffered in practice Jan. 22, finished with 38 points on 15-for-27 shooting. He was 7-for-11 from beyond the arc in the first half, breaking his career best of six 3-pointers in a game against Cornell in 2006.

Other than shooting from the perimeter, Williams didn't do a whole lot. His left leg still lacks the explosiveness to put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket like he's used to doing.

When informed that David Hobbs, the former Alabama men's basketball coach, was watching from press row in his new gig as a regional scout for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, Williams grinned and said: "Well, he didn't see me doing too much rebounding. I don't have any lift right now. The leg is weak, very weak."

It was hardly a weak show, however. Williams' 25th career game of 30-plus points boosted his scoring average to 27.3. The 6-foot-6 forward entered the night trailing Niagara's Charron Fisher (27.6), who had 45 points Sunday, for the Division I scoring lead. Williams is bidding to lead the country for a second consecutive season.

"I told [Williams] you're not 70 percent anymore, you're 75," VMI coach Duggar Baucom said. "That was after he made seven threes in the first half. He was still pretty good, wasn't he?"

Williams had an ice pack on his leg 10 minutes after the game. He has been undergoing daily treatment for nearly three weeks.

"I probably won't be 100 percent for the rest of the season," he said.

When asked what he thought about Baucom leaving him on the floor for 35 minutes in a blowout, Williams laughed and said, "He just left me in there and let me play. I guess he just wanted to get me back in the groove and play me into shape."

Despite not scoring a point in the game's first 11:20, Travis Holmes turned it on to finish with 27 points. The 6-4 junior forward is averaging a shade under 25 points in the past five games.

His brother, Chavis, had all but two of his 20 points in the first half. His five 3-pointers gave him 208, making him VMI's career leader in treys. Roanoke's Ramon Williams, who teamed with Damon in another twin tandem at VMI, had topped the list at 206 in a career that spanned from 1987 through 1990.

The Keydets' second victory in three days moved them back over .500 at 12-11. In case you missed it, the last time a VMI club had a winning record this deep in a season came a decade ago when the 1997-98 squad finished with a 14-13 record.

"It's nice to win two in a row," Williams said. "It was a fun game; you get a chance to relax. If we keep shooting like that and playing this way, we should go into the [league] tournament on a high roll."

The next roll for Williams comes around 6 a.m. today, when he gets out of bed to serve breakfast to the corps from 6:30 to 7:30. Name another guy in Division I who scores 38 points and then serves eggs 10 hours later.

"I've got to make some money," he said.

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN (7-17)

Goods 1-1 0-0 2, O.Carter 10-19 4-5 25, Warren 7-15 2-2 20, S.Carter 2-7 0-0 4, Bailey 5-10 5-7 15, Moore 1-6 2-4 5, Outen 1-1 0-0 2, Grier 0-1 0-0 0, Johnson 2-5 0-2 4, Knight 4-4 0-0 8, Knysas 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-69 13-20 85.

VMI (12-11)

Bell 5-7 2-4 13, Williams 15-27 1-3 38, Lonon 0-0 0-0 0, C.Holmes 7-19 1-1 20, T.Holmes 8-19 8-8 27, Cantafio 0-0 0-0 0, Brownfield 0-2 0-0 0, Maypray 0-2 0-0 0, Hunter 2-9 0-0 6, Josey 2-3 0-0 4, Houston 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 39-88 13-18 109.

Halftime--VMI 68-35. 3-Point Goals--Charleston Southern 6-30 (Warren 4-9, Moore 1-6, O.Carter 1-7, Grier 0-1, Johnson 0-2, Bailey 0-2, S.Carter 0-3), VMI 18-51 (Williams 7-13, C.Holmes 5-14, T.Holmes 3-9, Hunter 2-8, Bell 1-2, Josey 0-1, Maypray 0-2, Brownfield 0-2). Fouled Out--None. Rebounds--Charleston Southern 39 (O.Carter 13), VMI 48 (Bell 12). Assists--Charleston Southern 8 (Bailey 3), VMI 21 (C.Holmes 6). Total Fouls--Charleston Southern 15, VMI 13. Technical--Goods. A--1,236.