The occasion was Big South Conference basketball with rival Radford University on Wednesday night at Cameron Hall. One of the Corps' targets was the Highlanders' Olumuyiwa Popoola, whose last name was being creatively if not unkindly reconstructed. No reaction was forthcoming, but that is not to say the jeers didn't have an effect. Popoola was one of a number of Highlanders who played a complete game, hurting VMI from near and far with 16 points, five rebounds and three steals. Radford won only its second road game of the year, stopping the Keydets 78-62 to again show some life in the conference race.

Popoola, one of two Radford seniors, scored in double figures for the third time in nine games. He was particularly sharp, making seven of eight shots from the floor. Popoola made all four of his second-half attempts as Radford shot 55.6 percent in the last 20 minutes.

"I fed off the energy of the crowd," Popoola said. "They were trying to get into my head. I appreciate it when they do that."

The head cases may have been counted among VMI's outside shooters. The Keydets were muttering to themselves after going an icy 0-for-15 from 3-point range. It was the first time since a 62-49 loss at New Orleans on Dec.28 that VMI has been blanked from afar. The Keydets are shooting 17.6 percent (12 of 68) from beyond the arc this season.

"I empathize," said Radford coach Byron Samuels, whose club is shooting 43.9 percent overall for the year.

Those sentiments notwithstanding, Samuels called for a zone defense, which the Highlanders employed most of the second half. That left VMI post men Tim Allmond and freshman Justin Jarman fighting through a clogged traffic jam while the guards were allowed to fire away relatively unmolested.

"They were giving us good looks," VMI coach Bart Bellairs said. "We shoot the 3 well in practice. I don't know what happened tonight."

VMI guard Matt Coward did.

"The shots weren't falling for us tonight," said Coward, who missed two triple attempts but was 7-for-11 otherwise. "If I was going to score, I had to use my quickness to get to the basket."

Coward had five assists and a team-high 19 points, 10 coming in the first half. Freshman Reggie Williams added 12 points, almost four below his team-leading average.

Radford (7-9, 2-3 Big South) outrebounded VMI (5-9, 0-4) 39-33 and made 14 of 18 foul shots, including nine of its last 10. Guard Whit Holcomb-Faye made all six of his foul shots and scored 20 points to go with five assists. Chris Oliver added 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Freshman Josh Fox, a 6-foot-8 Augusta County resident making his first collegiate appearance, added nine points.

VMI lost its seventh-straight game.

"All the stuff we've been going through, we finally put behind us and played as a team," Holcomb-Faye said.

Added Samuels, "This might not have been our best game, but it was our most complete."

RADFORD(7-9)  Oliver 8-16 1-1 17, McIntyre 2-6 0-1 4, Popoola 7-8 1-2 16, Bynum 1-2 5-6 7, Holcomb-Faye 6-14 6-6 20, Jeffers 1-6 0-0 2, Goodin 1-4 0-0 3, Fox 4-7 1-2 9. Totals 30-63 14-18 78.

VMI(5-9)  Williams 5-12 2-3 12, Mielnik 3-4 1-2 7, Allmond 0-4 4-6 4, Coward 7-11 5-6 19, Joseph 0-7 0-0 0, Mankevicius 1-1 0-0 2, Robinson 1-4 0-0 2, Christiansen 1-3 0-0 2, Beverly 1-3 2-2 4, Murrer 1-5 0-0 2, Jarman 3-4 2-3 8. Totals 23-58 16-22 62.

Halftime-Radford 33-28. 3-point goals-Radford 4-11 (Holcomb-Faye 2-4, Popoola 1-1, Goodin 1-3, Bynum 0-1, Jeffers 0-2), VMI 0-15 (Christiansen 0-2, Coward 0-2, Murrer 0-2, Williams 0-2, Robinson 0-3, Joseph 0-4). Fouled Out-None. Rebounds-Radford 35 (Oliver 12), VMI 31 (Coward 5). Assists-Radford 12 (Holcomb-Faye 5), VMI 8 (Coward 5). Total Fouls-Radford 17, VMI 18. A-1,854.