With Harris, the leading scorer in the Patriot League, on the bench for the rest of the half, Navy lost its lead. But after intermission, the senior was back with a vengeance, leading Navy to a stirring, come-from-behind win, 62-56, before 5,710 at Alumni Hall.

Hitting 8 of 10 shots from the floor, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range, and making 10 of 11 from the free-throw line, Harris scored 30 points, 22 of which came in the second half as the Midshipmen overcame a 14-point deficit. It was the sixth largest comeback in Navy history.

“It’s always the same against these guys. There going to do what they do to get in my head,” said Harris. “I just gotta tell myself, they can’t. I’ve been through it enough times. This is my seventh game. Probably half of them, or more, they’ve gotten in my head.”

In addition to the heroics of Harris, Navy (9-11, 3-2) won with defense, holding Army (12-7, 2-3) without a field goal during an 8-minute, 47-second span of the second half.

“I think it was our faith in ourselves,” said Navy coach Billy Lange. “I don’t even know if [we] even looked at the score. I think it was like, let’s get this next possession, let’s get this next possession.”

When Army senior Cleveland Richard hit a 3-pointer with 16:11 left, the Black Knights had a 39-25 lead. But Navy went on a 31-6 run. Despite sitting out four minutes of the rally after picking up his fourth foul, Harris scored 13 of the points in the run, mixing outside shots with drives to the lane.

“We started moving the ball great and I was just the recipient,” said Harris. “I got absolutely great looks and that’s because of my teammates.”

Navy sophomore guard Jordan Sugars (15 points, 9 rebounds) added 12 points during the rally, including the two biggest baskets, a 3-point play that touched off the comeback and a 25-foot swish that gave Navy a 54-46 lead with 3:08 to go.

“They drove the ball very efficient in the second half,” said Army rookie coach Zach Spiker. “Especially with the emotion of the Army-Navy game, I don’t think any lead is too safe. It was certainly the case today.”

Also playing well for Navy were junior guard O.J. Avworo (10 points, 6 assists, 4 steals), who led the defense along with 6-10 junior center Jeremy Wilson (3 blocks, 2 steals).

Harris was brilliant, but Navy had to get the lead without its leader. When the 6-2 senior went to the bench with 10:18 left, Army followed with a layup by center Chris Walker for a 44-39 lead. But after that, Army went nine possessions without a point.

Meanwhile Navy reeled off 12 straight, half by Sugars, to take the lead for good.

Down the stretch, Navy was solid at the free throw line, guards Harris, Sugars, and Avworo finished a combined 21 of 27 at the stripe.

It was the first time in 14 games that a team won two straight in the series.

While Army started the game hot, scoring on three of its first four possessions, Navy was tight. But with Harris taking the lead, scoring eight quick points, the Midshipmen went on an 11-0 run to go in front. When Harris incurred his third foul, however, just 5 minutes, 46 seconds into the game, he went to the bench for the rest of the half.

Led by guards Julian Simmons (16 points) and Richard (8 points, 5 assists), Army regained the lead late in the first half and extended it at the beginning of the second as Jeremy Hence (Massaponax) and Richard hit consecutive 3-pointers.

But after that, it was all Navy.

“There’s not as many institutions that have a built-in rivalry that means as much as Army-Navy. I think our kids embraced that. I think it’s a sign of maturity for our program,” said Lange. “Being relentless in the pursuit of the game allowed us to sustain a great run by Army in the first half.”

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