ESPN Men's Basketball

LEXINGTON, Va. -- Stan Okoye scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as Virginia Military Institute stayed unbeaten in Big South Conference play by defeating Winthrop 72-54 Saturday.

The Keydets (8-7, 3-0) are off to their best Big South start since 2008-09, when they started 6-0 in the league.

Winthrop (6-9, 0-3) lost its fourth consecutive game.

Brian Brown scored all eight of his points for VMI during a 17-4 second-half stretch when the Keydets increased a two-point lead to a 55-40 advantage with 11:18 remaining. Their lead remained in double figures after that.

VMI led by as many as 10 points, 26-16, in the first half before the Eagles cut it to 35-32 at halftime. Gideon Gamble scored 12 of his 16 points for Winthrop in the first half.

Dorian Albritton scored 14 points and D.J. Covington 12 for VMI. Okoye moved into fifth on the Keydets' career rebounds list with 810.