TIGER TAMERS
Navy builds big halftime lead, holds on to beat Princeton in Veterans Classic
Navy men’s basketball has won four of the nine games it has played in the Veterans Classic. This latest victory might be the most impressive.
Seniors Sean Yoder and Tyler Nelson led the way as Navy shot the lights out to build a big first-half lead, then withstood a strong second-half rally to beat defending Ivy League champion Princeton, 74-73, on Friday night at Alumni Hall.
“Princeton is a very good basketball team and a historic program. I think they’ll be one of the better teams in the Ivy League,” Navy coach Ed DeChellis said. “It was a good win. Any time we can get a win in our Veterans Classic, it’s good for us.”
Yoder made 7 of 11 shots in scoring a career-high 20 points, while Nelson added 17 points for Navy, which improved to 2-0 on the young season. Two other seniors — forward Daniel Deaver and guard Patrick Dorsey — added 10 and eight points, respectively, for the Midshipmen, who watched a 20-point halftime lead almost totally evaporate.
Forward Keeshawn Kellman did most of his damage inside in scoring 20 points, while guard Matt Allocco made four 3-pointers in netting 19 points for Princeton, which outscored Navy 47-28 in the second half.
“It was a tale of two halves. We played really, really well in the first half. We defended well, we shared the ball, we scored the ball,” DeChellis said. “The first four minutes of the second half are critical and we didn’t come out the way we needed to.”
Nate Allison was a surprise starter in place of Daniel Deaver in the post and responded with a teamhigh six rebounds. Freshman point guard Austin Benigni came off the bench and played with great poise in totaling six points, two assists and two rebounds. Yoder also had five rebounds and three assists.
Deaver entered the game and scored six points off nifty post moves to spark a sluggish offense, while the Midshipmen really locked down on defense. Yoder scored nine points as Navy outscored Princeton 37-7 to transform a seven-point deficit into a commanding 39-16 lead.
The Tigers missed nine shots and committed seven turnovers during a decisive stretch, which lasted just under 13 minutes.
Nelson (12 points), Yoder (11) and Deaver (10) all reached double figures in the first half as the Mids shot a sizzling 72% (18-for25) from the field in taking 46-26 lead. Navy went 5-for-8 from 3-point range with Nelson and Inge each making two threes.
Meanwhile, the Tigers made just 1 of 9 shots from beyond the arc and 1 of 6 from the free-throw line in the first half.
“When the offense is working and everything is clicking you look like a great team. We also played pretty well defensively in the first half,” Yoder said.
Alloco scored eight points as Princeton opened the second half with a 14-4 run to cut the 20-point deficit in half by the first media timeout at 15:36. The Tigers continued the surge coming out of the break and got within 50-46 with 13:36 to go.
“We talked about coming out and defending them and we didn’t do it. We gave them hope,” DeChellis said. “They came at us and scored at will. We have to clean that up.”
Nelson righted the ship for the Mids, making a turnaround jumper and a 3-pointer from the corner to push the lead back to 55-46 at the 11:52 mark. Navy led by 14 points with 7:06 remaining, but a lightning-quick 8-0 run got Princeton back within six less than a minute and a half later.
Kellman converted a three-point play and Langborg swished a 3-pointer to cap a 17-4 run as Princeton cut the deficit to 68-67 with 1:54 remaining in the game.
Benigni made a pull-up jumper in the lane, then made a great pass ahead to Dorsey for an open 3-pointer as Navy responded with five straight points to give itself a 73-67 cushion. However, Allocco answered with a triple to keep the pressure on with 51 seconds left.
Yoder made 1 of 2 free throws to make it a two-possession game at 74-70 with 26 seconds to go. Allocco made another 3-pointer with 3.6 seconds left to get the Tigers within one. Yoder was fouled on the inbounds pass with 3.3 seconds left and missed both free throws, giving the visitors a chance to win on the game’s final possession.
“I think it’s pretty known that I need to make free throws down the stretch. That’s what good players do,” Yoder said.
Allocco dribbled past midcourt then pulled up and attempted a long 3-pointer that bounced wildly off the backboard as time expired. Henderson was livid, believing Allocco had been fouled by Dorsey.
“They absolutely smacked us in the first half. It was like we weren’t even here,” Henderson said. “Our guys responded in the second half, but it proved too much to overcome in the end.”
Princeton committed 15 turnovers and made just 7 of 17 free throws, which Henderson termed “telling stats” in the game. The Tigers also went 6-for-19 from 3-point range.
“This is an amazing event, first class all the way. This loss hurts, but it will go away. We’ll never forget this trip. It’s a really special place. Just an amazing experience being here,” Henderson said of the two-day Veterans Classic.
All in all, it was a successful opening week for Navy, which beat William & Mary on its home floor, 74-59, on Monday.
“We’re 2-0, so I’m very happy. That said, we still have a lot of work to do. Hopefully, we’ll continue to grow and develop,” DeChellis said.