17 February, 2007
by Joshua Schaffer
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1st |
2nd |
Final |
| Army (13-14, 3-9 Patriot) |
26 |
42 |
68 |
| Navy (14-13, 4-8 Patriot) |
29 |
47 |
76 |
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The Star Game had been won by Navy the last four seasons and this year’s game would be no different, as the Midshipmen prevailed 76-68. In front of 5,247 spectators, the 9th largest crowd in Alumni Hall history, Navy played good basketball on both ends of the court to put its record over .500 and split the season series against Army. The Black Knights have lost 7 straight games and are going to have to wait another year to obtain the coveted Alumni Trophy.
Trey Stanton set the tone in this game with 2 tremendous blocks in the first 3 minutes and scored the first 5 points of the game for Navy. Army did open the game up 4-0, but had its last lead of the game with 13:34 left in the first half at 9-8. This was right around the time when Kaleo Kina got hot, scoring 7 straight points and contributing to a Midshipmen 13-1 run that gave Navy an 18-10 advantage with 7:55 left in the half. Army tried to fight its way back into it as Doug Williams scored 6 straight points and cut the Navy lead to 2. The rest of the half involved both teams matching shot for shot as Navy led at the half 29-26.
The second half began almost the same way the first half did as Trey Stanton hit 2 more three-pointers to give Navy a 6-point lead. Army once again fought back and tied the game at 35 with a acrobatic scoop shot by Jarell Brown, who had a team-high 18 points in this match-up. Navy regained the lead with an Adam Teague jumper, and then Greg Sprink scored his first point of the game on a free throw with 13:30 left. He finished out with 19 points the rest of the way to give the Midshipmen the cushion they needed in an 8-point win.
The victory puts Navy in a tie for fifth place in the Patriot League, a game behind American for fourth. The Mids host American this week. Army drops to seventh place in the conference.
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| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
Cleveland Richard hit a jump shot for Army with 7:27 let to cut the Navy lead to 6 points. Then Teague received a pass on the other end a nailed a three-pointer. Army came back and got a lay-up from Williams. Sprink then came down the other end and drove to the basket for a lay-up. Army tried to rush the ball down the court to respond but Chris Harris stood his ground and took a charge, which seemed to bring the momentum back in Navy’s favor.
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| Key sign it was over |
With around 3 minutes left, Army was down 5 points and Trey Stanton hit his fourth three-pointer of the game. That was followed a possession later with a Greg Sprink three-pointer, and the Black Knights were done.
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| Key performance |
Trey Stanton scored 15 points, blocked 4 shots, and was 4-of-4 behind the arc in one of his best games of the season.
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| Key statistic |
When Navy shoots well behind the three-point line they win games. They were 12-for-24 in that category today.
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| Notes |
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Army has won the first game of the season series against Navy and lost the Star Game in each of the last 3 years.
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This is the fifth time this season that Navy has hit 12 or more three-pointers in a game. Navy has a record 239 three-pointers this season.
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This was the 106th meeting between the two service academies.
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Navy hosts American Tuesday night. Army welcomes Lafayette Wednesday.
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