Army Offense Struggles In Loss At Navy

Saturday, February 19

Annapolis, Md.

2:30 PM

Army West Point

Navy

Army Offense Struggles In Loss At Navy

February 19, 2011 | Men's Basketball

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -Navy used two first-half runs to overcome a 12-0 deficit and then take a double-digit lead at the half en route to a 75-58 victory at Alumni Hall on Saturday afternoon in the annual “Star Game.” The Mids swept the Black Knights for the first time since 2003, snapping seven-year run of splitting the season series.

Army scored the first 12 points of the game, but a 16-2 spurt put the Mids on top for the first time at 22-20. The Black Knights came back to take a 26-25 lead, but Navy ended the half on an 11-0 run to hold a 36-26 advantage at the break.

Sophomore F Ella Ellis led the Black Knights with 13 points, while senior G Mitch McDonald added 11, his third double-digit scoring game in the last four outings. Ellis also pulled down a team-high six rebounds. Freshmen Josh Herbeck made three three-pointers for nine points, while classmate Alex Godette scored a career-best nine points and led the team with four assists.

Jordan Sugars led all players with 20 points for the Mids, while Mark Veazey scored 17 points and snared nine rebounds in only 17 minutes off the bench. Romeo Garcia chipped in with 14 points, all in the second half.

Army continued its recent shooting slump, hitting only 34.6 percent of its field goal tries, including 6-of-18 from three-point range. The Mids shot 46.0 percent for the game and nearly doubled the Black Knights on the glass, 47-24. Navy outscored Army in the paint, 32-12.

The Black Knights have now lost five straight games and eight of their last nine.

Army bolted out to a 12-0 lead bookended by three-pointers from Josh Herbeck and Nathan Hedgecock. The Black Knights started the game 3-for-5 from the field and made their first two three-point tries. The Mids missed their first three shots and turned the ball over in the first four minutes, 51 seconds.

Veazey ended Navy’s drought with a runner in the lane with 14:43 left on the clock, and Sugars scored to pull the Mids within eight at 12-4 with 13:48 to go. Army answered with four straight points to re-establish a 12-point edge, but a Veazey three-point play started 16-2 Navy run that gave the Mids a 20-18 lead with 6:16 on the first-half clock.  Army went five minutes, 50 seconds without a field goal, missing seven straight shots.

Army tied the score at 22-22 on a basket by Hence, but a three-point play by Brown gave the Mids a three-point edge. Hence hit a driving layup, and Ellis was fouled as he went for offensive rebound. He made both ends of the one-and-one to complete the four-point possession and give the Black Knights a 26-25 lead with 3:30 remaining.

That was Army’s last lead of the game as the Mids scored the final 11 points of the first half, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Avila, to go into intermission with a 36-26 advantage. Army missed its last four shots of the half.

Army shot just 8-for-25 in the first half, including a 2-for-7 showing from long range. The Mids hit 48.0 percent, including three three-pointers (3-9) in the opening stanza. In addition to their makes from behind the arc, Navy added four three-point plays in the first 20 minutes.

McDonald led the Black Knights with eight first-half points, while Sugars, who scored 25 in the first meeting at Christl Arena, tallied 13 points.

The two teams were even thorough the first seven minutes of the half before Veazey scored four straight points to give the Mids a 47-33 lead with 12:26 left. Garcia scored Navy’s first seven points of the half.

Army trimmed the deficit to 47-36 on a jumper by McDonald and a free throw by Simmons, but Veazey again went to work in the post with three baskets as part of a 12-3 Navy run that pushed their lead to 59-39 with 4:44 left.
 
Navy never led by less than 17 points for the rest of the game, stretching their margin to as many as 24. The Mids scored 13 of their last 15 points from foul line.

Navy’s 17-point win was its largest margin versus the Black Knights since a 19-point win during the 2002-03 season.
 
Army continues its season ending road trip on Wednesday when it travels to Lafayette. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Leopards scored an 83-60 win at Christl Arena earlier this season.  

Game Notes: Jason Pancoe was back in action on Saturday after missing the two previous games with a toe injury … freshman Cartavious Kincade made his first career start … he is the second plebe to start a game this season (Josh Herbeck) … Army started both rookies on Saturday … the Black Knights’ five-game losing streak is its longest since the 2008-09 season … Ella Ellis has led the team in scoring 10 times … Ellis, Jeremy Hence and Julian Simmons remain the only Army players to lead the team in scoring this season … Army has led by double figures in the first half of its last eight games, but have suffered seven defeats in that span … the Black Knights have scored less than 60 points in back-to-back games for the first time since December.