Press helps Mids break shooting slump in win
Annapolis, Md. – After shooting 28 percent in lopsided losses in hostile gyms, Navy looked forward to its home opener against Division III Neumann (Pa.).
Through the first 28 minutes on Tuesday, however, the Midshipmen found the rims at familiar Alumni Hall just as difficult to solve. But then the Mids discovered the best way out of a shooting slump – defense.
Fueled by a full-court zone press, Navy got some easy baskets, found the range, and blew past Neumann 74-62.
Led by senior guard Greg Brown (18 points, 11 rebounds) and junior guard Jordan Sugars (16 points, 6 rebounds), the Midshipmen (1-2) got a much-needed victory before heading to California for three games this weekend in the 2K Sports Classic.
“You see the ball go in the hole, you get some easy ones, it really opens things up,” said Brown, who had career highs in points and rebounds.
On a night when Navy shot 35 percent from the floor, hit just 5 of 30 tries from beyond the arc (17 percent), and committed 25 turnovers, it survived with defense. The Mids forced a staggering 35 turnovers and limited the Knights to 37 percent shooting from the floor.
“I’m encouraged by our fighting spirit,” said Navy coach Billy Lange. “It’s a difficult thing for any team to go through droughts where you’re not scoring, particularly when you’re getting stops.”
Navy’s lack of cohesion on offense comes, in part, from breaking five freshmen into the rotation. One of them, however, 6-foot-7 J.J. Avila (6 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks), was a major factor in the second half, doing a little of everything.
“We have great teamwork when he’s on the court,” said Lange. “He’s a kid that’s got some swagger to him. He’s just gonna get better.”
Navy’s decisive run of 11 points came midway through the second half, turning a 1-point deficit into a 10-point lead. Sugars was in the middle of it, hitting a layup, a 3-pointer, and making a mid-court steal and feeding Brown for a layup.
“We needed it to create some tempo, create some offense from our defense,” Lange said of the 1-2-2 press. “They sensed why we needed it and they really were aggressive with it.”
After the run, Navy let its lead slip below six points. When Brown scored on a flashy fast-break dunk with 3:50 left, it gave the Mids a 67-52 lead.
Also contributing for Navy were points guards Isaiah Roberts (8 points, 4 steals), a freshman, and O.J. Avworo (8 points, 5 assists, 3 steals), a senior starter.
Neumann (0-2) was led by guards Patrick O’Conner (21 points, 8 rebounds) and Marguise Boggs (14 points) who scored on three straight possessions to give the Knights their last lead, 45-44.
Navy will lean heavily on Avworo, Brown, and Sugars. But the Mids’ fortunes could be decided by how quickly the five freshmen develop.
“I’m personally going to have to be very patient with the process of them learning, and not put too much pressure on them,” said Lange of his freshmen. “You don’t want them to get tight. We want enough pressure, but we want them to make diamonds.”
