Dec. 5, 2008
Box Score
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Kaleo Kina and Chris Harris combined for 46 points and the Navy men's basketball team made 15-of-17 free throws in the second half to help the Mids to a 76-65 victory over Penn on Friday night at the historic Palestra. The win improves Navy's record to 7-1 overall, while Penn, whose six losses have now come to foes with a combined record of 37-5, drops to 1-6 on the season.
Navy's 7-1 start is the program's best since the 1983-84 team started 8-0, and the Mids' seven-game win streak is the longest since the 1999-2000 team won 13 games in a row from Jan. 23, 2000, to March 5, 2000.
In addition, the win was Navy's first in the historic Palestra since Dec. 5, 1959, a span of 49 years. Navy had lost 15 games in a row to the Quakers in the Palestra and seven in a row overall. No current member of the Navy coaching staff was born the last time Navy won in the building.
"Not trying to be team specific, but this is a monumental win for our program. There have been a lot of great teams come here and lose, so we are proud to be the first to win here in a long time," said Navy head coach Billy Lange. "On a personal level, I am very proud to get my first coaching win in this facility. I grew up coming to games here and it is very special for me to bring our team in here and get a victory.
"I was just very pleased with the way we won tonight," said Lange. "We executed very well in the second half and our defense was once again outstanding. The cheese steak will taste a little better on the way home to Annapolis tonight. We were very thrilled and honored to be a part of this weekend."
The Navy defense was once again instrumental in the victory. Navy held the Quakers to just 43.6 percent shooting and won the battle of the boards, 42-34. In addition, the Mids suffocated Penn's leading scorer, Tyler Bernardini. Bernardini entered the game averaging 16.8 ppg, but was held to just six points on 2-of-12 shooting from the field, including 1-of-7 from the three-point line.
"We have been playing phenomenal defense, and we did a great job on Bernardini," said Lange. "Kaleo (Kina) was given the task of guarding him, and he did a great job and he got great help defense from everyone. Kaleo is really focused on his game in general and he is playing very well right now."
"It was a great team effort defensively on Bernardini," said Kina. "He is a great player and we are proud to hold him to 2-of-12. There were a lot of guys running at him and getting into him tonight. It was a solid team effort on the defensive end."
Kina, meanwhile, torched the Quakers for 28 points on 9-of-18 shooting and 9-of-9 from the free throw line. Over the last three games, Kina is averaging 29.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 2.0 apg while shooting 26-of-48 from the field. He has also shot 42 free throws during that span, going 9-of-9 from the stripe tonight. He scored 17 points in the second half as Navy built on its seven-point halftime lead.
"As good as we feel right now, we have to stay grounded," said Kina. "We started 9-3 a couple of years ago and then finished on a tough note. We just can't get up or too down and keep taking it one game at a time."
The two teams traded leads early on as Navy led 25-24 with 5:56 to play in the first half. However, the Mids went on a 10-4 run to close the half with a 35-28 advantage.
Navy then broke the game open early in the second half, scoring the first nine points of the half for a 44-28 lead with 16:21 to play. The Mids made the halftime adjustment of pounding the ball inside, which opened up driving lanes for the Navy guards.
"We really wanted to emphasize getting the ball inside on offense, and defensively we wanted to look the same," said Lange. "We were tremendous on defense at the start of the second half."
Navy would grab its biggest lead of the game at 51-33 with 14:07 to play on an Adam Teague three-pointer, and the closest the Quakers would get was as 67-58 with 2:43 to play. However, Navy put the game out of reach after a Bernardini intentional foul on Harris with 2:36 to play. Harris got behind the Penn press and was driving in for a lay-up, when Bernardini hammered him from behind. Harris calmly drilled both free throws, and Kina scored on a jumper on the ensuing possession to push the lead back to 13.
Navy would make 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to give the Mids their seventh win of the season, 76-65.
Navy, which is now 7-1 on the season, now enters the teeth of its schedule, facing Virginia Tech on Sunday and Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday. After breaking for finals, Navy will travel to Canisius on Dec. 20, before coming back to Philadelphia to take on 17th-ranked Villanova on Dec. 22.
"I just think this start this year (compared to 2006-07; 9-3) feels different, because of the way we are playing," said Lange. "We are gaining confidence with each game and it helps us play with more confidence."
Chris Harris scored 18 points, making three three-pointers in the contest. Adam Teague added 10 points and five rebounds and was 4-of-6 from the field. O.J. Avworo added six points and three assists. Romeo Garcia had four points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks, a steal and drew three charges. Clif Colbert also added seven rebounds. Mark Veazey also had six points and five rebounds.
The Mids shot 24-of-59 (.407) from the field and 6-of-17 (.353) from three-point range. Navy turned the ball over just 11 times, including four second-half mistakes.
Penn was led by Brennan Votel with 14 points and nine rebounds. The Quakers shot 24-of-55 (.436) from the field, but was just 5-of-16 (.313) from three-point range and 12-of-20 (.600) from the free throw line. Penn committed 15 turnovers.
Navy will battle Virginia Tech on Sunday (Dec. 7) in the first game of the BB&T Classic in the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., beginning at 5:00 pm. The game will be televised regionally by MASN.
GAME NOTES * Navy is off to a 7-1 start for just the fourth time since the 1951-52 season. The other years came in 1983-84, 1959-60 and 1952-53 ... Navy's seven-game winning streak is the longest since 1999-2000 ... the Mids' seven-game non-conference winning streak is the longest since winning seven non-league games in a row from Dec. 8, 1984, to March 4, 1985 ... in the last 27 games, Navy is 20-7 ... Navy improved to 16-4 all-time on December 5. Navy's win over Penn snapped a 15-game losing streak to the Quakers, dating back to December 5, 1959 ... Kaleo Kina has now scored in double figures in 11 straight games ... Kina now has 14 career 20-point games. When Kina scores 20 or more points, the Mids are 10-4 ... Kina is 32-of-42 from the free throw line in the last three games ... Chris Harris has now connected on a three-pointer in 29 straight games. During that span, Harris has made 106 three-pointers ... Harris became the fourth player in school history to make 140 career three-pointers. Harris has 141 career three-point bombs ... when Adam Teague scores in double figures, Navy is 16-6 all-time ... Navy has outrebounded four of its eight opponents this year ... Navy improved to 36-7 under Billy Lange when attempting more free throws ... Navy has held seven straight foes (all wins) to 66 or fewer points in regulation periods only.
# GO NAVY #
