As Longwood University's basketball team kept sinking, VMI sailed away with its first victory since December, blunting the Lancers 65-52 at Cameron Hall on Thursday night. The Keydets (6-15) snapped a 13-game losing streak while extending Longwood's to 13. The Lancers (1-24) are in the second year of a four-year death march to full NCAA Division I membership.

"We really needed this to jump start some things for us for the rest of the season," VMI point guard Matt Coward said.

VMI was in control throughout, although an 11-for-22 clang job at the free throw line helped give the Lancers hope almost to the end.

"It's been difficult for these guys," Longwood coach Mike Gillian said. "I think they're at a pretty fragile emotional state right now. We'll keep going."

And going. This was Longwood's 17th road game of the year with three more remaining. VMI kept its guests on the run, outshooting and outrebounding them handily. If there was a complaint about the winners aside from the creaky foul shooting, it was their 20 turnovers.

"We've got to catch some more of those balls to be honest with you," VMI coach Bart Bellairs said. "We had some real good passes."

Coward had a game-high 18 points to go with eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals. His most spectacular shot, a running layin that left him sprawling on the ramp to the locker rooms, just about put an end to Longwood's hopes.

"You get lucky sometimes," he said.

Reggie Williams had 10 points and six rebounds as a fine freshman season continued, but the real story for VMI was its bench work. Fred Robinson made all four of his shots including a 3-pointer on the way to 13 points. He and fellow reserves Matt Murrer and Sam Mielnik went 9-for-9 as the Keydets shot a season-best 56.8 percent for the game.

"They got a big lift from those guys off the bench," Gillian said.

Shell shock long since having set in for Longwood after tangling with the likes of No. 1 Illinois and rugged Cincinnati (with No. 6 Wake Forest yet to go), the Lancers had something of a startled look the first 20 minutes. VMI took advantage by putting together one of its best halves of the years. With five players scoring either six or seven points, the Keydets canned 16 of 28 shots (57.1 percent).

VMI note

Levar Joseph faces knee surgery next week and is done for the year. He was averaging 9.4 points in 14 games.

LONGWOOD(1-24)  Sumter 1-10 0-0 2, Barrett 3-9 1-2 7, Kosmo 5-6 1-2 11, Jefferson 5-18 1-1 12, Pistoljevic 2-7 0-0 6, Boateng 0-0 0-2 0, Giles 1-3 0-0 3, Hager 0-1 0-0 0, Smith 4-9 0-0 9, Beale 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 22-65 3-7 52.

VMI(6-15)  Williams 4-9 1-4 10, Beverly 4-10 1-5 9, Allmond 1-2 1-2 3, Coward 7-13 2-5 18, Christiansen 0-0 2-2 2, Mankevicius 0-0 0-0 0, Robinson 4-4 4-4 13, Popic 0-0 0-0 0, Murrer 3-3 0-0 6, Mielnik 2-2 0-0 4, West 0-0 0-0 0, Jarman 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-44 11-22 65.

Halftime-VMI 37-26. Three-point goals-Longwood 5-22 (Pistoljevic 2-6, Giles 1-1, Smith 1-2, Jefferson 1-7, Hager 0-1, Barrett 0-2, Sumter 0-3), VMI 4-7 (Coward 2-3, Robinson 1-1, Williams 1-3). Fouled Out-Sumter. Rebounds-Longwood 28 (Smith 8), VMI 39 (Allmond 9). Assists-Longwood 11 (Sumter 6), VMI 13 (Coward 5). Total Fouls-Longwood 16, VMI 14. A-1,264.