Poor first-half shooting doomed the Eagles’ (10-16, 5-6, PL) in a 50-44 loss Feb.20 at the U.S. Naval Academy (8-19, 2-9, PL).
AU struggled to make shots from in every category in the first half. The Eagles shot only 22 percent from the field in the first half and didn’t make single 3-pointer, going 0-5. AU also couldn’t hit its free throws, going 4-10.
Blake Jolivette struggled the most. Jolivette scored his first basket with only two seconds left in the game. The senior guard finished 1-11 shooting.
Tony Wroblickly also had a noticeably bad offensive game. Wroblicky missed from the field and from the free throw line. The junior was 3-7 from the field and only 1-5 from the free throw line.
Despite the Eagles’ poor shooting, the team was only down nine points at halftime.
AU came back to tie the game at 30 with 13:17 left in the game. But AU never mustered a lead. In fact, the Eagles did not have a lead at any point in the contest.
The Eagles hovered around a two- and three-point deficit until Navy with just over a minute remaining. After the rebound, the Midshipmen stretched their lead to four. The Eagles promptly turned the ball over, effectively turning the game over to Navy.
With the loss, AU is 0-10 when trailing by single digits at halftime and 3-11 on the road.
The Eagles next game is Senior Day against Army (13-13, 6-5, PL). It’s AU’s last home game of the regular season. The Eagles’ last three games are all against teams that are above them in the PL standings.
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