Box Score | PDF Box Score

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A big run late in the first half proved insurmountable as Penn (1-5) defeated Navy (2-6), 57-46, at Alumni Hall on Wednesday evening. Navy had a late comeback that cut Penn's lead from 20 to eight, but the Mids could not rally all the way back.

The game was tied at 10-10 after the first 11 minutes, but Penn closed the half on a 28-11 run to break the game open. Penn took a 17-point lead into halftime and then grew its advantage to 20 early in the second half. Navy was able to chip away at the lead and a 16-5 run that spanned nine minutes had the Mids trailing by just eight at 52-44 with five minutes to play.

A 3-pointer by senior guard Brandon Venturini cut the lead to eight and five points from freshman Tom Lacey helped cut into Penn's margin. Navy also received inside buckets from post players Will Kelly and Edward Alade as the team made its comeback.

After Navy cut the lead to eight, Navy missed six straight field goals (four of which were 3-pointers) while Penn built its lead up again and it wasn't until Tilman Dunbar's layup with 39 seconds left when Navy's nearly five-minute scoring drought was broken for the final score of 57-46.

"I thought we played better in the second half, at least defensively," head coach Ed DeChellis said. "We just couldn't get any baskets. We tried to press a bit and break up the floor and get some transition baskets but we couldn't convert."

Penn's junior center Darien Nelson-Henry had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and junior guard Tony Hicks had 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes as Penn won its first game of the season.

Alade and sophomore guard Zach Fong each had eight points for Navy. Venturini tallied five points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal in a team-high 30 minutes.

Kelly returned after an injury kept him out of the Saint Francis U game on Saturday. Kelly started his first game of the season and posted four points, six rebounds, two blocks and an assist. Freshman Nouse Fox made his first career start and had six points on a pair of 3-pointers.

Navy's top two 3-point shooters, Fong and Venturini, were a combined 3-of-15 from beyond the arc as Navy shot just 22 percent from distance. Navy also shot just 39 percent (5-of-13) from the free-throw line.

The game featured an eight-minute delay early in the first half due to a malfunctioning shot clock.

Penn extends its all-time series lead over Navy to 58-24 in the 82nd meeting of the series. The only team that Navy has played more often than Penn in men's basketball is Army (120 games).

Navy will next play at The Citadel (3-4) on Saturday at 1:00 PM on ESPN3.