Box Score

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Despite a 13-point second-half lead, the Navy men's basketball team (5-8, 0-1 PL) fell to Bucknell (9-5, 1-0 PL), 59-55, on Friday evening in Alumni Hall. Navy led for 35 minutes in the contest, but Bucknell outscored Navy 36-23 in the second half and 10-2 in the final 2:30 of the contest.

Navy played a strong game defensively, but couldn't take advantage on the offensive end to put the game away after taking an early lead. Bucknell came into the game shooting 47 percent and the Mids limited the Bison to just 34 percent shooting from the field and 16 turnovers. However, Navy shot 37 percent from the field and was just 9-of-18 from the free throw line.

"I don't think we played well," said head coach Ed DeChellis. "But we played really, really hard and we competed. That was a good basketball game. We just didn't make the crucial shot or the free throws when we needed to."

Bucknell's Kimball Mackenzie scored a game-high 22 points, while Nana Foulland tallied 12 points and 12 rebounds. Mackenzie sealed the win with two free throws with seven seconds left to extend Bucknell's margin to four points.

Junior guard Shawn Anderson paced Navy with 12 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore point guard Hasan Abdullah and freshman center Evan Wieck each scored nine points, while sophomore forward George Kiernan added eight points off the bench.

Bucknell led for the first three minutes of the game and did not regain the lead until the 1:13 mark in the second half. Navy led for 35 minutes in the game.

Bucknell scored the game's first five points before Navy went on a 13-0 run in a 2:28-span for a 13-5 lead. Abdullah scored nine points during the run and made a pair of 3-pointers.

Another run midway through the first half that included two free throws by junior forward Tom Lacey, a 3-pointer by senior Zach Fong and a layup by Anderson gave Navy its largest lead of the first half at 23-11.

Bucknell failed to make a field goal for the final nine minutes of the first half, but did make six free throws. Navy also slowed down offensively and failed to take advantage of the Bison drought. The Mids took a nine-point lead into halftime at 32-23. Navy forced 12 first-half turnovers which it converted to 17 points.

Wieck and junior guard Bryce Dulin scored two quick buckets to start the second half to push Navy's lead to 13 at 36-23 and prompt a Bucknell timeout.

However, Navy would shoot just 6-of-26 (23 percent) from the floor and 1-of-12 (8 percent) on 3-pointers for the remainder of the second half to allow Bucknell to rally. Mackenzie scored 19 points in the critical second half and scored six straight points in a 7-0 run that cut Navy's lead to 46-45 with 5:50 remaining.

Navy was able to hold off Bucknell for the next several minutes as Kiernan and Anderson made key plays, but the Bison would tie the game on a Zach Thomas layup at 53-53 with 1:44 remaining. Thomas' layup came on an offensive rebound that was in a Navy player's hands, but it was not controlled and Thomas made the most of the opportunity.

Bucknell's Stephen Brown made a steal and then a fastbreak layup with 1:13 left to put the Bison ahead for the first time since leading 5-4 and Bucknell would not relinquish the lead.

Navy went just 2-of-6 from the free throw line in the final minute of the game, including two misses with 8.3 seconds left when trailing 57-55. Mackenzie corralled the defensive rebound and then his two free throws with seven seconds left sealed the game.

Friday's game was the Patriot League opener for both schools.

Navy will next play at Holy Cross on Monday evening.