Box Score

LEXINGTON, Va. - The Navy men's basketball team (8-3) finished its seven-game road swing at 6-1 following a 68-62 win at VMI (3-6) on Saturday afternoon in Cameron Hall. Navy improves to an NCAA-best 5-0 in true road games this season.

"I'm proud of our kids," said head coach Ed DeChellis. "We've been on the road for so long. Our defense was pretty good down the stretch and we made our free throws. I thought our kids played hard and we competed."

After VMI tied the game at 51-51, Navy made its next 12 points at the free throw line and got enough defensive stops to finish off the Keydets. Senior Will Kelly had a fastbreak dunk that put the Mids up eight at 65-57 with 34 seconds left and then junior Tim Abruzzo made one free throw and senior Tilman Dunbar made two with three seconds left to seal the six-point win.

Sophomore Jace Hogan was 9-of-10 from the free throw line to match his career high of 17 points and he also grabbed eight rebounds. Abruzzo scored a career-high 14 points and knocked down three 3-pointers.

Dunbar tallied 13 points with four assists and sophomore Shawn Anderson scored 10 points with six rebounds as four Mids finished in double figures. Kelly finished with eight points and was in foul trouble for most of the second half.

VMI took an early lead at 11-10 before an 18-4 run by the Mids put the visitors up 13 with five minutes left in the first half. Sophomore Bryce Dulin and Abruzzo scored back-to-back layups and after two free throws by Hogan, Abruzzo knocked down a 3-pointer to put Navy up 19-11 with 11:30 left in the half.

VMI's Tim Marshall hit a trey, but the Mids responded right back with layups by Hogan and Anderson and then a dunk by Kelly. VMI's QJ Peterson made a free throw and then another triple by Abruzzo had the Mids up by 13.

VMI used a 9-0 run spanning the end of the first half and the beginning of the second to draw within four at 30-26. Navy was able to pull ahead again after an Alade layup and another 3-pointer from Abruzzo, but VMI responded again with an 8-0 run to tie the game at 37-37.

The teams went back-and-forth over the next several minutes until Navy got some space after Dunbar hit a short jumper and then scored on a scoop layup to put the Mids up three with 5:56 to go.

The Keydets would draw even again at 54-54 after a 3-pointer by Peterson, but Navy started to get stops on the defensive end and Anderson, Dulin, Kelly and Dunbar made free throws on consecutive possessions to make it a multiple possession game.

Navy went 22-of-27 from the free throw line (82 percent) and shot 45 percent from the field (21-of-47). Navy outrebounded VMI, 33-26.

VMI's Peterson scored a game-high 20 points, while Marshall (14) and Julian Eleby (10) both scored in double figures.

Navy now leads the all-time series against VMI, 23-1.

Navy will return to Annapolis for a home game against USC Upstate (2-9) on Monday at 7 PM.

VMI's first-year head coach is Dan Earl, who played under DeChellis at Penn State and was an assistant coach under DeChellis at both Penn State and Navy.