Courtesy of NavySports.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Five players scored in double figures as the Navy men’s basketball team (11-10, 6-3 PL) won its sixth straight game with a 71-53 victory at American (5-15, 2-7 PL) on Wednesday evening at Bender Arena. The win also snapped Navy’s nine-game losing streak at Bender Arena.
At the halfway mark of the Patriot League season, the Mids sit in a three-way tie for second place in the Patriot League at 6-3.
“I thought it was a solid game for us on both ends of the floor,” said Navy head coach Ed DeChellis. “I thought several guys played well and we spread the ball around pretty well. Guys made some basketball plays. I felt we have a very solid evening.”
Navy junior Bryce Dulin scored a game-high 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Junior forward Tom Lacey posted his fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Lacey recorded 10 offensive rebounds and grabbed six offensive rebounds in a span of just 2:03 midway through the second half.
“I thought Tom Lacey’s rebounding was just tremendous,” said DeChellis. “We lost our rhythm a little bit with eight minutes left in the second half but he did a great job of getting second shots and offensive rebounds. We were able to score that way until we got our flow back.”
Navy sophomore Hasan Abdullah scored 14 points on four 3-pointers with five assists and three steals. Junior guard Shawn Anderson amassed 10 points, four rebounds and four assists, while sophomore forward George Kiernan came off the bench to tally 10 points and five rebounds.
Navy outrebounded American 36-19 in the contest and held a 16-5 edge in second-chance points.
Navy opened the game on an 11-0 run as the Mids scored on their first four possessions. Senior center Edward Alade scored four of his eight points during the run and Dulin knocked down a 3-pointer. When American finally did score its first poitns at the 16:06 mark, the Eagles were able to reel off 12 straight over the next four minutes to briefly take a 12-11 lead.
Dulin broke the run with a jumper and Kiernan scored five quick points as Navy raced out to a double-digit lead once again. Alade scored inside and a 3-pointer by Abdullah put Navy ahead by 13 points at 33-20. Dulin would later make a jumper with six seconds left in the first half for a 10-point lead at 35-25 at the break.
Navy pushed its lead to 14 points early in the first half as Abdullah assisted on Navy’s first three buckets in the period, including a behind-the-back pass to Dulin on a fastbreak and threading the needle through traffic in transition for a Lacey dunk.
Navy held a comfortable 10-point lead for the next 10 minutes until American’s Mark Gasperini and Charlie Jones combined to make four straight free throws to cut the margin to seven points.
Abdullah answered with a 3-pointer before a layup by American’s Alex Paquin, but then Abdullah sunk another 3-pointer to push Navy’s lead to 11. After a steal by Abdullah, Lacey made two free throws and then another American turnover was followed by three free throws from Dulin after he was fouled on a 3-point attempt. Dulin’s free throws pushed Navy’s lead to 16 points at 66-50 with four minutes left in the game.
American’s Lonnie Rivera made a 3-pointer, his team’s only basket in the last 5:52 of the contest, and Lacey followed right back with an offensive tip-in. Dulin picked off a pass on the other end and a 3-pointer by Abdullah at the end of the shot clock iced the game at 71-53.
Navy shot 48 percent from the floor (25-of-52) and 74 percent from the free throw line (14-of-19). Navy led for 39:10 in the contest.
Rivera led American with 13 points with three 3-pointers. Gasperini and Sa’eed Nelson each tallied 11 points.
After starting the season at 0-7 in games played away from home, Navy has now won four straight road games.
Navy won its first game at Bender Arena since Jan. 30, 2008 and won for just the third time in its last 22 games in the facility.
“We haven’t won here in nine years,” said DeChellis. “I’m very excited for our team and our program to come here and win the game, and to do it in a solid, workman-like fashion.”
This is the second straight season that Navy has posted a six-game conference winning streak. Navy’s last seven-game conference winning streak came during a 12-game conference winning streak that spanned the 2000 and 2001 Patriot League seasons.
Navy will next host Holy Cross (11-11, 5-4 PL) on Saturday at 4:00 PM.
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