It doesn’t matter if the game is played in Annapolis or Hamilton, New York, Navy men’s basketball just cannot beat Colgate.
To be fair, there are a lot of Patriot League programs with poor records against the Raiders during their current reign as four-time defending champions.
Fifth-year center Jeff Woodward had a tremendous all-around game with 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five blocked shots to carry Colgate to a 73-66 victory over Navy before a sparse crowd at Alumni Hall.
“Jeff had a really good night. He was a stat sheet stuffer,” Navy coach Ed DeChellis said. “That’s a fifth-year guy who is a very good player and has been on championship teams and knows how to win. He’s got good leadership ability out on the court.”
Senior swingman Nicolas Louis-Jacques and junior guard Brady Cummings scored 14 points apiece for the Raiders, who have now won 12 straight meetings with the Midshipmen. Sophomore guard Parker Jones added 13 points for Colgate (7-11, 4-1), which is in sole possession of first place in the Patriot League.
Junior point guard Austin Benigni scored 25 points and dished off eight assists to lead Navy (5-13, 2-3), which is in a four-way tie for fifth place. Sophomore guard Cam Cole came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting.
Woodward also got the job done on the defensive end, harassing Navy junior center Aidan Kehoe into a 3-for-12 performance. Kehoe hauled down a game-high 13 rebounds but had a streak of five straight double-doubles ended.
“That was a learning experience for Kehoe. This is the first time he has played against someone of that physicality and strength,” DeChellis said. “Aidan has to figure it out. He just didn’t have it tonight.”
Woodward missed seven games with an injury and Colgate compiled a 3-11 nonconference record. Coach Matt Langel stated the obvious when noting the Raiders are a completely different team with the 6-foot-11, 270-pound center in the lineup.
“Jeff was a warrior out there tonight and I’m glad he’s on our squad,” Langel said.
Navy has not beaten Colgate since January 3, 2019. DeChellis was asked if he was surprised to have lost 12 straight in the series.
“It is hard to believe. But it’s not hard to believe because that team is very talented, very good. They have guys that just know how to play,” he said.
Cummins scored 10 points and Colgate led for almost 15 of 20 minutes in taking a 33-32 advantage into halftime. Backup guard Kyle Carlesimo drained a 3-pointer to cap a 10-0 run that gave the Raiders a 16-8 lead at the 12:03 mark.
Cole provided a spark off the bench by scoring 11 points on the strength of three 3-pointers for Navy. Cole’s first triple ended a nearly four-minute drought for the Mids, who outscored the visitors 16-8 over the final 7 1/2 minutes to cut a nine-point deficit down to one at halftime.
“It was great for Cam. He’s put a lot of work into his shot and we needed someone to come in and shoot tonight,” DeChellis said.
Benigni hit a pullup 3-pointer to put Navy ahead 37-36 just over two minutes into the second half. That was the home team’s first lead since 8-6 early in the first half and was short-lived.
Louis-Jacques made shots from beyond the arc on back-to-back possessions as Colgate quickly regained the advantage. Jones made triples on consecutive possessions as the Raiders matched their largest lead at 50-41 at the 13:55 mark.
A flagrant foul against Colgate resulted in a six-point possession that enabled Navy to get within two, 57-55, with 9:11 remaining. Draper made a breakaway layup and was hammered by Louis-Jacques with replay review determining it was excessive contact.
Draper made one of two free throws and Navy maintained possession, allowing Pennick to hit a 3-pointer from the corner that cut the deficit to 57-52. However, the Midshipmen then went eight straight possessions without scoring, committing five turnovers and missing three shots.
Navy only committed eight turnovers in the game, but those four in a short span hurt.
“The No. 1 key on the board offensively was to take care of the ball. The second key was take care of the ball. That’s how important it is,” DeChellis said. “We had two bad shots and the four turnovers. It was like an avalanche. When the game was on the line, we didn’t make the plays we needed to make to win.”
Colgate took advantage of the more than five-minute drought to rebuild the lead to 10 points, 65-55, with 4:35 left. Navy rallied late to get within five after a tap-in by forward Mike Woods with 25 seconds to go.
Woodward was fouled and made just 1 of 2 free throws, giving the Mids a chance to get closer, but a pair of missed 3-point attempts on the subsequent possession ended any thoughts of a remarkable comeback.
“We lost the lead, but then we answered right away. In those moments when you can answer and not let them extend their run, it’s critical,” Langel said.
Navy has lost three straight after starting 2-0 in the conference. The Midshipmen were coming off a one-point, last-second loss at Loyola Maryland.
“These have been very close games and we just haven’t been able to put it all together,” DeChellis said. “We’ve just got to keep fighting and keep working and good things will happen.”
It was a rare road win in Patriot League play this year. Home teams boast a 22-3 record in the first three weeks of conference action.
“Holding serve at home and stealing games on the road is what it takes to win a regular season [championship],” Langel said.
Have a news tip? Contact Bill Wagner at bwagner@capgaznews.com, 443-534-0102 and x.com/@BWagner_CapGaz.
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