The Eagles dominated almost all aspects of the game and defeated Navy Midshipmen 68-49 Feb. 25 at Bender Arena.
AU’s last game against the Mids resulted in a tough 64-54 loss. Going into the game, the Eagles were tied for sixth place and in need of a win after dropping their last three out of four games.
The Eagles are still tied for sixth place with Lafayette. If the Eagles beat Bucknell in their next game or Lafayette loses, the Eagles will get the fifth seed. If they lose and Lafeyette wins, the sixth seed is theirs. If AU loses and Boston University, Loyola and Lafayette all win the Eagles will fall to the seventh seed.
Head coach Mike Brennan was pleased by his team’s effort.
“"I thought we played a good game both offensively and defensively. Navy is a good team that challenges you with their size and length, but we were able to work our sets and make some shots," Brennan said. "Tonight we did a good job of recognizing opportunities as they arose."
With senior center Kevin Panzer out with a concussion and junior center Zach Elcano still nursing a foot injury, junior forward Marko Vasic got the start at center. The Eagles were tremendously undersized, with nobody taller than 6-foot-5 in the starting lineup.
The Eagles rose to the occasion and got out to a hot start. They jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead thanks to a Marko Vasic layup and a pair of threes from guards John Schoof and Jesse Reed. Navy would keep themselves in the game thanks to a whopping 11 offensive rebounds in the first half, but AU’s shooting was too much for the Midshipmen to overcome, hitting 65 percent of their shots.
What the new small ball lineup lacked in height and rebounding ability, they made up for it with great ball movement and suffocating defense. Vasic’s ability to distribute the ball from the high post drew Navy’s big men from the basket, allowing John Schoof to exploit his matchup in the post. Schoof finished the first half with 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting. The Eagles went into the half up 34-17.
The Midshipmen came out with a full court press in the second half, trying to force the Eagles into turnovers and to get themselves back into the game. AU held its double digit lead for most of the game until a layup from Tilman Dunbar cut the lead to eight points. However, the Eagles immediately responded and went on a 8-0 run that was sparked by a Pee-Wee Gardner three pointer.
The Eagles were lead by junior forward Marko Vasic and senior guard John Schoof. Schoof finished with a season high 25 points on 8-13 shooting and 3-5 from three point land. Vasic almost had a triple-double with 14 points, eight assists and eight rebounds.
The Midshipmen were led by Worth Smith, who totaled 15 points and seven rebounds.
The Eagles next game is also senior day, and the Eagles will celebrate careers of John Schoof, Pee Wee Gardner, Kevin Panzer and Kyle Kager. Tip-off versus Bucknell is at noon.
@unclehizzy - mholt@theeagleonline.com
