It was not until a final second three-pointer clanged off the rim and bounced to the floor before the AU men's basketball team could finally exhale, having survived a wild 68-67 victory over the U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen last night. The win improves the Eagles' record to 12-7 on the season and 4-1 in the Patriot League.
Senior guard Garrison Carr sealed the win for the Eagles with a three-pointer with 31 seconds remaining in the game to give AU the slim one point lead. The Midshipmen had three chances to regain the lead in the final half minute of play but AU survived each one for the win.
While the final minutes were frantic for both teams, the game did not start out that way, as AU took an early 6-2 advantage on back-to-back shots from beyond the arc by Carr and senior forward Brian Gilmore three minutes into the game.
The two teams battled back and forth until the Eagles took the lead for good at the 14:00 mark of the first half, going on a 10-1 run capped off by a sophomore guard Nick Hendra lay up at the 9:51 mark to give the Eagles a 22-16 cushion.
The Eagles continued to add to their lead throughout the first half, going into the locker room up 10 points thanks to a three-pointer with two seconds remaining to give AU a 43-33 lead at halftime.
The Eagles continued to hold onto the lead until midway through the second half, when poor AU shooting combined with an improved percentage by the Midshipmen turned the tide of the game.
Navy went on a 9-0 run over a three-minute stretch starting at the 7:42 mark, turning a 59-52 deficit into a 61-59 lead for the Midshipmen.
The Eagles refused to go away and quickly tied the game up again at 61 on a jumper by Hendra at 4:22.
After trading three-point buckets, AU found themselves down by two after senior guard Kaleo Kina made one of two free throws with 1:43 to go in the game.
This would be the last time Navy held onto the lead as Carr hit the three-pointer with 30 seconds to go to give AU the one point victory.
Carr finished with a game-high 28 points, including hitting seven of his 11 shots from beyond the three-point line. Gilmore and senior point guard Derrick Mercer also had double-digit points with 12 apiece.
The Eagles will look to continue this momentum as they head into the annual Phil Bender game at 2 p.m. Saturday against Lafayette College.
You can reach this staff writer at jhall@theeagleonline.com.
