With first place in the Patriot League on the line last night in Annapolis, Md., the Navy Midshipmen shot down the men's basketball team with more precision than a falling satellite as their 83-68 loss halted a six-game winning streak.
The Eagles faced an uphill struggle from the start. It was clear early on that AU still had no answer for Midshipman guard Chris Sprink. Sprink, who torched AU for 36 points at the teams' first meeting last month in Bender Arena, hit four three-pointers and scored 16 of his game-high 34 points in the first half.
Meanwhile, Garrison Carr, AU's leading scorer, managed just three first-half points, making one basket in four attempts.
The Eagles also had ball-control problems as Navy forced 10 Eagle turnovers, compared to just a single turnover by the Midshipmen in the first 20 minutes.
Navy was able to put together runs of 10-2 and 9-3 in the half to give themselves a 41-33 lead at the break.
Nevertheless, the Eagles refused to fall over easily. Carr led the comeback for the Eagles, scoring 17 second-half points. Six of those points came during a 12-2 Eagle run in the middle of the second half that propelled AU to a 55-53 lead with eight minutes to go. However, Carr would be held scoreless thereafter.
Navy seemed to have an answer for everything the Eagles threw at them and quickly erased AU's advantage as the teams fought back and forth over the next few minutes.
However, Navy dominated down the stretch, going on a game-deciding 20-6 run over the final four minutes to seal the win.
As in the first half, turnovers presented a problem for the Eagles. AU finished with 21 turnovers, including eight by point guard Derrick Mercer, compared to just eight Midshipmen turnovers. Navy also had a sizeable advantage at the free throw line, making over 80 percent of their free throws compared to just two-thirds for AU.
Lost in defeat was the production of Travis Lay. The senior provided a spark early for the Eagles while the rest of the team struggled, scoring 10 first-half points. By game's end, he had recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
With the loss, AU falls to 17-11 and 9-4 in the Patriot League, tied with Navy for first in the conference. However, Navy can clinch the regular season title and home-court advantage throughout the conference tournament with a win Saturday by virtue of their two wins over AU. The Eagles' final regular season game is Saturday at Bender Arena against Lafayette.
