27 January, 2007
by Joshua Schaffer
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1st |
2nd |
Final |
| Colgate (7-13, 2-5 Patriot) |
29 |
37 |
66 |
| Navy (11-11, 2-5 Patriot) |
24 |
34 |
58 |
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Colgate, having lost their last 5 conference games, came into Annapolis knowing that the loser of this game would be in last place in the Patriot league. They were without their second leading scorer Kendall Chones and sixth man Alex Woodhouse, who had both come down with the flu. None of this mattered, however, as the Raiders got great contribution by Kyle Chones and won a tough game 66-58.
Early on in the game, Navy was playing with confidence as they gained a 9-5 lead. The Midshipmen then went on a scoring drought for nearly 4 minutes and Colgate took a 12-9 lead about halfway through the first half. Kaleo Kina hit a three-pointer for Navy to tie the game up at 12-12, but those were the last points he would score in this contest. Coach Billy Lange explained after the game that Kina was limited to 14 minutes because he was not playing well. Both teams battled back and forth throughout a first half that featured 3 ties and several lead changes. Navy’s last lead of the game came with 3:47 left in the first half, when Corey Johnson hit a mid-range jumper to give the Mids a 24-23 lead. Colgate responded by shutting out Navy for the remainder of the first half and ended the half up by 5 after a 6-0 run.
The second half was not easy for the Raiders as they would pull away from Navy and then watch them come right back. Colgate began the second half on a 7-2 run to give them a 10-point lead. Navy then chipped away at the lead and got within 1 with 10:41 left. Kyle Chones took over at this point and scored 7 points in a little over 4 minutes to push the Raider lead back up to 11 with 6 minutes left. Navy would not get closer than 8 points the rest of the way, and has now lost 8 out of their last 10 games. Both teams’ next games are at home against Bucknell: Colgate hosts the Bison Tuesday, and Navy welcomes Bucknell Friday night.
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| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
With a little under 10 minutes left, Navy’s T.J. Topercer had a chance to cut the Raider lead to 1 but missed a long three-point attempt. Colgate got the rebound and ran it down the other end where Chones hit a jumper. Navy then turned the ball over, and Willie Morse hit a three-pointer to push the Raider lead to 7. Trey Stanton missed a deep shot on the next possession and the Raiders grabbed the rebound and drew a foul that put them in the bonus with 7:25 left.
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| Key sign it was over |
Navy missed 5 straight three-pointers in the second half, as Colgate built an 11 point lead with around six minutes left. Navy then finally came down and hit a three-pointer trying to gain back momentum, but Kyle Chones immediately came down on the other end and answered with a three of his own.
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| Key performance |
Kyle Chones made Colgate forgot about the absence of his brother Kendall and had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals.
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| Key statistic |
Navy launched 28 three-pointers and only made 9. The Midshipmen seem to live and die by the three.
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| Notes |
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After a 9-3 start, Navy has lost 8 of its last 10 games and is at their record is at .500 for the first time since a November 11 loss to St. John’s (Navy’s record was 1-1 at the time).
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Colgate head coach Emmet Davis served as an assistant at Navy from 1987 to 1998. Davis was involved in 4 NCAA tournament appearances for the Mids.
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Colgate has won 5 out of its last 6 games against Navy.
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Colgate broke a 5-game losing streak in conference.
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Greg Sprink scored in double figures for the 18th time this season and the 51st time in his career.
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Stanton came into this game missing his last 15 three-pointers and was 1-for-6 behind the arc tonight.
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