Defense helps Navy overcome 17-point deficit
Davis, defense help Navy overcome 17-point deficit
It was gut-check time right out of the gate for Navy men’s basketball as it sought to start the new year on a positive note.
Down 17 points six minutes into the second half, the Midshipmen were in danger of getting embarrassed on their home floor to open the 2021 Patriot League campaign. Experience and depth are two of Navy’s strengths, and those factors were crucial to overcoming the double-digit deficit.
Senior captain Cam Davis took over offensivel, while Navy turned it up several notches defensively in rallying to beat Bucknell 78-69 on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Hall.
Davis scored 19 of his 26 points in the second half to spark the comeback and the Mids held the Bison without a field goal over the final 12:40. Junior forward Richard Njoku scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Navy, which closed on a 35-9 run.
“For the last 12 minutes, I was really proud of the team,” Navy coach Ed DeChellis said. “We went on a huge run. I thought we guarded better, rebounded better and started shooting the basketball better.
“I’ve always thought this team had some grit and some determination, and they proved it again tonight. For the last 12 minutes I loved them because that’s the team we are.
“If we play that way — get after people defensively, rebound the ball and make baskets — we look like a pretty good team.”
Sophomore forward Daniel Deaver came off the bench to score 10 for Navy (4-1), which is off to its best start since 2008-2009. Junior guard Greg Summers totaled eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Mids.
It was the third-largest comeback victory in program history for Navy, which has won four straight meetings with Bucknell. The Midshipmen and Bison will square off again Sunday (6 p.m.) at Sojka Pavilion as part of the Patriot
League’s home-and-home weekend doubleheader format.
“It’s great getting the first one. It’s certainly better than getting your butt kicked here today,” DeChellis said. “It’s one game, one
win. We came back and did some really good things. We have to stay even-keeled.
“Now we’ll see what we can do [Sunday]. We’ll see if we can play back to back.”
Junior guard Andrew Funk scored 16 points to lead Bucknell (0-1), which missed 14 straight field goals and committed six turnovers over the final 11 minutes, 48 seconds. Sophomore guard Xander Rice added 13 points and five assists for the Bison, who only managed to make nine free throws during that span.
“I think our defensive intensity was the story of the game,” Davis said. “For the first 28 minutes, they were very comfortable. Once we started getting our feet moving, getting out and really guarding, we were able to turn things around.”
It was the season opener for Bucknell as the Patriot League did not allow its member schools to schedule nonconference contests. Army and Navy were granted exemptions in order to meet the physical mission of the service academies.
“I don’t want to take anything away from Navy, which played very well and deserved to win,” Bucknell coach Nathan Davis said. “But I do think there’s a definite advantage that they’ve played four games and been in some close games and obviously we haven’t.”
Burly center Alex Timmerman made a layup to cap a 10-0 run that put Bucknell ahead 60-43 at the 12:40 mark of the second half. Navy’s comeback began immediately thereafter, with senior forward Luke Loehr making consecutive 3-pointers from the left wing.
“He got two wide-open looks and knocked them down, and it jump-started our defensive intensity,” Cam Davis said. “We realized we were chipping into the lead and we had to get stops because we couldn’t keep trading baskets.”
Davis, who had been settling for lowpercentage perimeter jumpers to that point, began to assert himself. The 6-foot combination guard converted a steal into a layup, then scored off two straight strong drives.
Njoku made two free throws to give Navy its first lead since the 6:28 mark of the first half, then followed with a thunderous two-hand slam dunk off a beautiful feed from Davis.
“Richard played really well and gave us a great 25 minutes,” DeChellis said. “I thought he was tremendous and played a heck of a basketball game tonight on both ends of the floor.”
Davis made a clutch pullup jumper and drained 6 of 6 free throws over the final 1:48.
DeChellis used full-court pressure to disrupt Bucknell, which was 10 of 20 from 3-point range through 28 minutes of action but then missed its final eight attempts from beyond the arc.
“I was disappointed because we talked for two days about making them put the ball on the floor and not shoot 3s, then didn’t do it,” DeChellis said. “I decided to start pressing them a bit to throw them off some rhythm.”
Junior swingman John Carter Jr., second on the squad with an average of 13.5 points per game, was held scoreless on 0-for-8 field-goal shooting. Starting forward Tyler Nelson missed all four shots he took in being held without a point.
Deaver went 5-for-7 from the field to lead a Navy bench that produced 31 points. Navy was without backup point guard Sean Yoder, who suffered a knee injury. However, DeChellis still used a 10-man rotation with freshman Austin Inge providing solid minutes at point guard.
“I thought our bench really propelled us the last 10 minutes of the game,” DeChellis said. “We had some starters that didn’t play real well and were able to overcome a 17-point lead and win the game.
“If you told me John Carter and Tyler Nelson weren’t going to score and we’d win the game, I’d say no way.”