CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Navy (6-5) men's basketball team pushed nationally ranked and defending national champion Virginia (10-2) until the very end of a 65-56 victory by the Cavaliers over the Mids Sunday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va.
 
"I think our kids really competed; they played hard," said Navy head coach Ed DeChellis.
 
The Cavaliers, ranked 13^th and 16^th in the two national polls this week, jumped out to a 12-4 lead five minutes into the game.  The margin would grow to as many as 10 points –– 28-18 –– before the Mids closed to within four points at 28-24.  A 9-2 run by Virginia gave it a 37-26 lead, but the half ended with Luke Loehr (Jr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) nailing a three-point shot at the buzzer that made the score 37-29.
 
Navy carried that momentum into the start of the second half as Evan Wieck (Sr., Amarillo, Texas) scored field goals on each of the team's first three possessions of the stanza to winnow the margin down to two points at 37-35.  The Mids forced the Cavaliers into a missed shot on their next trip down the floor, then Loehr had a three-point shot that had it gone in would have given Navy a 38-37 advantage.  However, it missed the mark and Virginia came down and scored on its ensuing opportunity to take a 40-35 lead with 16:32 remaining.
 
Neither team scored for over four minutes until Cam Davis (Jr., Battlefield, Mo.) hit a three-point shot to close the Mids to within 40-38.  It would be 100 seconds until another basket went in and it came on a three-point field goal from John Carter Jr. (So., Spring Hill, Tenn.) that gave the Mids a 41-40 advantage. 
 
Virginia head coach Tony Bennett called timeout after the Carter triple.  The Cavaliers would again come away without any points on their resulting possession, then the Mids missed two shots on their next chance with the ball.  Virginia quickly scored back-to-back fastbreak baskets with a foul shot, as well, after the latter hoop to regain the lead at 45-41 with 8:37 showing on the clock.  The Cavaliers would score seven points on their next three possessions to extend their run out to 12 points in a row and their lead out to 52-41 with 6:31 remaining.
 
"We took the lead at 41-40, then Virginia went on a 12-0 run because of our shot selection," said DeChellis.  "Then we, as I tell the guys, tried to put 10 pounds of potatoes in a five-pound sack.  We just tried jamming it in there and they (Virginia) started swatting it and started their transition game and that's how they got us and that's a credit to them."
 
Navy was able to close to within five points at 54-49 with 4:06 left, but that was as close as the game would be over the remaining minutes.
 
Virginia was 25-47 from the floor (53.2%) and made 8-19 three-point attempts (42.1%).  The Cavaliers entered the game averaging 5.0 three-point field goals made a game and shooting just 26.1 percent from beyond the arc.  On the other end of the court, the Cavaliers were allowing a nation's best 46.5 points a game and opposing teams were shooting just 34.2 percent against their defense.  Navy would shoot 38.8 percent from the floor (19-49) and make 7-20 three-point attempts (35.0%).
 
"I thought defensively we were pretty solid in the halfcourt," said DeChellis.  "They are a great defensive team.  Tony does a great job.  We struggled to score, like a lot of teams.  I thought we manufactured some points and we scored, not enough to win the game, but to keep us close to see what we could do."
 
Virginia narrowly outrebounded Navy, 28-26, and won the turnover battle by a 9-8 margin.  The Cavaliers led the Mids in blocks, 7-0, and Navy held a 6-4 lead in steals. 
 
Davis led Navy with 19 points and Wieck recorded 13 points, five offensive boards and eight rebounds in all.  Virginia's Braxton Key led four Cavaliers in double figures with 15 points and teammate Kihei Clark totaled 10 points and 13 assists.
 
Navy will open Patriot League play Thursday when the Mids play host to Lehigh at 7 p.m. in Alumni Hall.
 
"I think we have the makings of a team that can compete in the Patriot League and compete in some games," said DeChellis.  "We have made improvements since the start of the season.  I like our team.  They compete, they get after you, they bring it, they play hard and that's all you can ask."