Midshipmen Overcome First-Half Shooting Woes to Edge Black Knights

Navy 59, Army 54

The Army men's basketball team had clawed its way back into the game, whittling Navy's lead to two points with just more than a minute remaining. With the momentum flowing in the Black Knights' favor, the Midshipmen showed remarkable poise and patience. They calmly worked the ball around the court until Adam Teague caught it in the right baseline corner.

With his coach shouting "Drill it" from the sideline, Teague, who hadn't made a field goal in the game, launched a three-point shot that fell cleanly through the rim as the shot clock was about to expire. Teague's basket gave Navy the cushion it needed to escape with a 59-54 victory yesterday at Alumni Hall.

"I wasn't worried about how many shots I got," Teague said. "I was just worried about winning the game. . . . It feels good to get four star game wins in four years."

Navy's 110th meeting with Army contained everything a fierce rivalry should: pressure-filled moments, wild momentum swings, clutch shots and spirit-crushing misses. In the end, the Midshipmen (18-9, 7-5 Patriot League) prevailed because they made the big plays down the stretch. Their nationally televised victory in the "star game" earned them the alumni trophy for the seventh consecutive year.

"The tradition and the history of this game speak for itself," Navy Coach Billy Lange said. "It's a great victory."

The first half was a defensive struggle with neither team shooting well or holding onto the ball. A combined 26 turnovers and field goal shooting worse than 28 percent made for an unsightly game.

After making a basket on its opening possession, Navy turned over the ball on four of its next five possessions. The Midshipmen didn't score another point for more than 6 1/2 minutes. With Army (8-18, 4-8) imposing its rugged style of play, Navy, owner of the Patriot League's most prolific offense, labored to one of its lowest-scoring halves since 1952.

"We talk about it all the time, you can't get distracted," Lange said. "But it's hard not to when you've got all these people here and the game and the meaning of the game."

Army, which has the Patriot League's second-stingiest defense, capitalized on Navy's offensive woes by surging to a 14-4 lead. But after Kenny Brewer's three-point play with 12 minutes 5 seconds remaining in the half, Army didn't make another field goal before halftime. The Black Knights' final three points of the half came at the free throw line.

Navy's Chris Harris, who had missed four of his five shot attempts in the first half, quickly regained his shooting touch after halftime. He made three of his first four shots, including a pair of three-pointers that opened and capped a 19-2 run by Navy.

"I didn't do anything different" in the second half, Harris said. "I felt like as a team we ran better offense in the second half. We were pretty stagnant in the first half."

The most impressive play of Navy's scoring surge came from freshman guard Jordan Sugars, who was fouled hard as he lofted a three-point attempt from the left baseline corner. Somehow the ball found its way through the net and Sugars sank his free throw for the four-point play. Moments later, Harris sank another three to give Navy a 42-28 lead.