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ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Senior point guard Tilman Dunbar scored 22 points with eight assists and sophomore Shawn Anderson scored 21 points as the No. 7 Navy men's basketball team (19-13) defeated No. 10 Lafayette (6-24), 78-70, in the Patriot League Tournament First Round in Alumni Hall on Tuesday.

Navy will next play at No. 2 Lehigh (15-14) in the Patriot League Quarterfinals on Thursday at 7:00 PM.

"I thought our kids played really well defensively," said Navy head coach Ed DeChellis. "We pushed it in transition and we rebounded the ball very well. We had big performances out of Tilman and Shawn and I thought Tom Lacey was outstanding tonight."

Navy led by as many as 15 points in the second half and held off a late Lafayette rally by overcoming a game-high 29 points from Lafayette senior Bryce Scott. Scott was 7-of-12 on 3-pointers on Tuesday evening.

In addition to Dunbar and Anderson scoring over 20 points, sophomore forward Tom Lacey posted his second double-double of the season with 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds and junior guard Zach Fong drilled three 3-pointers for nine points.

Dunbar's superb game began with him making a 3-pointer for Navy's first points in the contest. The Mids then went on a 7-0 run with a straightaway 3-pointer by Fong and then two straight layups by Anderson. Navy then pulled ahead by 10 at 26-16 after Anderson buried a 3-pointer and then the Mids made six straight free throws.

Scott made a 3-pointer to snap a seven-minute scoring drought by Lafayette at the 3:25 mark and then hit two more treys and made a layup to cut Navy's halftime lead to six at 33-27.

Navy rebuilt its lead in the second as Anderson made a 3-pointer and then senior Will Kelly scored on a tip-in to put Navy up 11 at 42-31. After Lafayette cut the margin to seven, Dunbar scored on a layup and then he dished to Anderson for a fastbreak layup. Lacey went 1-of-2 from the free throw line and then Fong's third 3-pointer gave Navy a 15-point cushion at 53-37 with 13:34 remaining.

Lafayette chipped away and cut the deficit to five after yet another 3-pointer by Scott. However, Navy got timely buckets from Anderson and sophomore Jace Hogan, while continuing to get stops on the defensive end.

Navy made 7-of-11 free throws, with Dunbar going 6-of-6, in the final 1:49 and Lacey got a fastbreak dunk and Anderson got a fastbreak layup to let Navy clinch the win.

Navy was able to take advantage of its transition game throughout the contest and outscored Lafayette 19-0 in fastbreak points.

Navy outrebounded Lafayette, 41-27, and held a 34-20 advantage in points in the paint.

Anderson now has 417 points this season for an average of 13.0. He is the first Mid to score over 400 points in a season since Jordan Sugars in 2011.

Kelly finished with eight points, five rebounds two assists and one block. He was 4-of-5 from the field and is shooting a Patriot League-best 62.4 percent on the season. Kelly was formally presented the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year award prior to the contest.

Dunbar, an all-conference third-team honoree, scored over 20 points for the fifth time this season and his eight assists came against just one turnover. Dunbar was 13-of-14 from the free throw line.

"I thought Til played great," said DeChellis. "He controlled the game, controlled the ball. He got us in to our offense. It was one of his better performances of the year."

Lacey's 14 rebounds were the most by a Navy player in a Patriot League Tournament game.

Navy's win on Tuesday snapped a four-game losing streak and a six-game losing skid at Alumni Hall. The Mids won three games against Lafayette this season.

Navy's 19 wins this season are the most since going 19-11 during the 2008-09 season.

Navy and Lehigh split the season series this year, with Navy winning the game in Bethlehem on January 20, 69-64.