Box Score

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Navy men's basketball team (7-2) won its seventh straight game by beating Penn (4-3), 65-59, in The Palestra on Wednesday evening. Sophomore guard Shawn Anderson scored a go-ahead layup with 43 seconds left and then hit two free throws with 16 seconds left to seal the win.

Navy has won seven straight games for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

Sophomore Jace Hogan scored a team-high 12 points off the bench and Philly-area native Tim Abruzzo added 11 points on three 3-pointers and made three steals. Anderson had 11 points and five rebounds.

This was Navy's fifth game of its current seven-game road swing. Navy has won six straight games away from home, which is its longest streak since winning seven straight 21 years ago in the 1994-95 season.

"We've been calling ourselves road warriors and we really embodied that tonight," said Anderson. "We didn't play well, but we found a way to win. That was very important because it shows that we are maturing and we are ready to be a winning team."

"In the past couple years we have always talked a lot about protecting our home court, but with the schedule we have this year with so many road games in a row, we have just embraced being road warriors," said Abruzzo. "We try to come in to these games and steal one on the road."

Navy led by as many as 13 points in the second half, but a layup from Antonio Woods cut the margin to six with 4:45 left. Navy responded with senior Kendall Knorr converting a three-point play after being fouled on a free throw, but then Woods came right down and hit a 3-pointer to start a 7-0 run.

Penn's Jack Silpe drove to score and then Matt Howard dunked an alley-oop from a long pass from Woods. The teams then traded free throws with Tilman Dunbar hitting two for Navy and then Darien Nelson-Henry did the same for the Quakers.

Navy turned the ball over on its next possession, and following a video review, the call stood. Navy then fouled Nelson-Henry, who hit two more free throws to tie the game at 59-59 with 1:03 to go.

Anderson then drove in to score over two players, including the 6-foot-11 Nelson-Henry to give Navy the lead. Woods was fouled and missed the front-end of a one-and-one, Penn got the offensive rebound and then Woods missed a jumper. Anderson snared the defensive board and made two more free throws with 16 seconds left to push Navy's lead to four.

Navy unintentionally fouled Penn again on the ensuring possession, but Woods missed both of his free throws. Navy senior Will Kelly grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Kelly then calmly sunk both free throws to seal the six-point win with eight seconds left.

"It was a heck of a basketball game," said Navy head coach Ed DeChellis. "I thought we played pretty well in the first half. But give credit to Penn, they were trying to win too. In the second half they made some shots and took us off the dribble and made some big plays. I'm proud of our team. It was a tied game with a couple minutes to go and we made some plays to win the game."

As has happened frequently this season, Navy got off to a fast start to the game and pulled ahead early over Penn, 6-0, after field goals by Anderson, Dunbar and Knorr. Navy made five of its first seven shots and after Abruzzo's first 3-pointer of the game, the Mids had pulled ahead to a 15-8 lead.

Another 3-pointer by Abruzzo put the Mids up 12 with 4:30 to go in the first half, but Navy then suffered through a three-minute scoring drought. Penn cut the margin to seven in the final 90 seconds of the half, but Abruzzo sunk his third 3-pointer of the half and then Anderson scored on Navy's last possession to lead 37-25 at the break.

A big difference in the game was the turnover battle, as Navy committed just nine and forced Penn to commit 18. Navy scored 22 points off the 18 turnovers while Penn managed just two points off of Navy's turnovers.

Knorr and Dunbar both scored nine points for the Mids while Kelly added seven points and six rebounds. Junior Edward Alade chipped in with four points and five rebounds off the bench.

Anderson scored in double-figures for his fourth straight games and Abruzzo has hit a 3-pointer in all six of his games this season.

Woods scored a game-high 16 points for Penn and Sam Jones added 12.

Nelson-Henry, who entered the game averaging 17.0 points and 8.8 rebounds, got into early foul trouble and was held to eight points and four rebounds.

Navy will next play #15 Oregon in the FS1 Pearl Harbor Invitational on Monday in Hawai'i on the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickham.

A Navy upset of the 6-0 Ducks would give the team its first eight-game winning streak since the 1999-00 season.