Courtesy of NavySports.com
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy men’s basketball team (6-10, 1-3 PL) opened the game on a 13-0 run and led wire-to-wire in a 67-55 win over visiting Colgate (3-14, 1-3 PL) on Sunday afternoon in Alumni Hall. Junior Shawn Anderson, junior Tom Lacey and sophomore Hasan Abdullah scored 14 points apiece as Navy snapped a four-game losing streak.
“I’m proud of our kids,” said Navy head coach Ed DeChellis. “Our backs were against the wall. I thought they responded today and I am proud of them. I thought our effort defensively to start the game was very good. We knew they would make a run on us. But we did a really good job defensively in the last 5 to 7 minutes of the game. And we made the free throws we needed to make to win the game. I think we have improved as a team over the last couple of days and that is good to see.”
Lacey posted his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds and Abdullah filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals. Anderson amassed 14 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Navy used a stifling defense to open the game on a 13-0 spurt over the first nine minutes. Colgate turned the ball over on six of its first seven possessions, while three steals by Abdullah lead to points on the offensive end. Senior center Edward Alade grabbed three offensive rebounds on the same possession, which eventually finished with an Alade tip-in and an Abdullah 3-pointer would later put the Mids ahead 13-0.
Thanks to 3-pointers by juniors Nourse Fox and Bryce Dulin, Navy was able to keep its lead at around 10 points for the remainder of the first half to take a 27-16 margin to the locker room. The 16 points scored by Colgate were the fewest by a Navy opponent in the first half this season.
Colgate opened the second half on a 9-2 run over the first 2:42 to cut Navy’s margin to four at 29-25. Colgate’s Sean O’Brien scored eight points with two 3-pointers during the stretch.
Navy broke the run on an Abdullah steal and then assist to senior Tim Abruzzo for a fastbreak layup. Abdullah sunk another 3-pointer before Lacey and Anderson converted back-to-back three-point plays to push the lead to 14 at 41-27. After a layup by Colgate’s Malcolm Regisford, Navy sophomore forward George Kiernan went on a personal 9-0 run on two 3-pointers, a free throw and a reverse layup to give Navy a 21-point lead at 50-29 and a 21-4 run since Colgate cut the margin to four points.
Colgate fought back to get within nine points with under three minutes to play, but Anderson scored on a layup late in the shot clock and then Abdullah made two free throws to push the margin back to 13 points with two minutes to play. In the final four minutes, Anderson went 3-of-4 from the free throw line, Abdullah went 4-of-4 and Abruzzo went 2-of-2 to seal the victory for Navy at 67-55.
“We knew we needed to come out today and get a win,” said Lacey. “That’s how we played today and that’s how we practiced the last couple days. We’re a resilient bunch.”
Navy went 23-of-29 from the free throw line in the game, a percentage of 79.3. The 23 free throws made were five more than Navy’s previous season-high.
Navy outrebounded Colgate, 36-22, and turned 13 offensive boards into 10 second-chance points.
Tom Rivard led Colgate with 21 points and eight rebounds. Will Rayman added 12 points and O’Brien scored 11.
Navy will next play at Loyola (8-7, 2-2 PL) on Wednesday at 7:30 PM.
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