ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– Free throw shooting and some timely defense boosted the Navy (11-7, 5-2) men's basketball team past Boston University (10-10, 4-3), 60-58 in overtime, Wednesday night at Case Gym in Boston, Mass.
 
The win gave Navy a 4-1 record in league games this season that have been decided by no more than five points.  The Mids have now won three games in a row to remain tied with American for second place in the league standings, with those three wins coming by a total of nine points.
 
"It was a gutsy win by our team," said Navy head coach Ed DeChellis.  "It was close the whole way.  These young men again found a way to win the game.
 
"It is these guys (on winning close games).  We can tell them what to do and sometimes they can follow through and sometimes they can't, but they have been able to weather the storms and make plays down the stretch when they need to.  It is a possession game, and we always talk about the last four minutes of the game and how we need to win that battle."
 
Navy never trailed in the first half and took a 27-19 lead into the break.  The Mids shot 58.8 percent (10-17) from the field and limited the Terriers to a mark of 32 percent (8-25) in the first 20 minutes of play.
 
Navy would take its largest lead of the game at 30-21 in the opening minute of the second half.  Boston responded with a 13-2 run to take its first lead of the night at 34-32.  The Terriers took a lead as large as four points before a 5-0 run gave the Mids a 45-43 lead with 4:21 remaining. 
 
The lead would change hands five times over the next three minutes.  Boston took a 46-45 lead (3:13) on an Ethan Brittain-Watts triple.  Cam Davis (Jr., Battlefield, Mo.) scored on a layup on the ensuing possession to make the score 47-46 (2:48).  Max Mahoney then made two free throws to put the Terriers in front, 48-47 (2:29).  Greg Summers (So., Ocoee, Fla.) responded on the other end with a layup (49-48, 2:10). 
 
Each team had one empty possession (BU turnover on a Navy steal, miss triple by the Mids), then Mahoney grabbed an errant shot by the Terriers and fed Walter Whyte for a three-point basket that gave them a 51-49 lead with 1:02 remaining.  The Mids tied the game on their next trip down the court when Davis scored on a layup with 42 seconds still to play.
 
Davis then grabbed a missed shot by the Terriers and the Mids advanced the ball over halfcourt before they called timeout with 11.1 seconds showing on the clock.  Navy inbounded the ball, ran off some time and then Summers drove down the left side of the lane as the clock was winding down.  His off-balance shot from near the baseline to the left of the basket flew over the rim as time expired.
 
The Terriers won the tip to start the extra period and made a basket just four seconds into play.  A miss by the Mids was followed by another Boston basket to make the score 55-51 less than one minute into the frame.
 
Navy scored on each of its next three possessions as Davis, Evan Wieck (Sr., Amarillo, Texas) and Summers each made a pair of free throws to place the Mids in front, 57-55.  That advantage lasted all of 20 seconds as a three-point basket by Whyte gave the Terriers a 58-57 lead.  However, 20 seconds after that, Davis scored on a layup to put Navy ahead, 59-58, with 1:26 left on the clock.
 
Summers came up with one of the biggest plays of the overtime as he doubled Mahoney and ended up stealing a pass from him with less than one minute remaining.  After advancing the ball over halfcourt and calling timeout, Davis was called for a charging foul as he lowered his shoulder into a BU defender with 31.1 seconds left.  Boston inbounded the ball, brought it over halfcourt and called timeout with 26.7 seconds remaining in the game and 26 seconds left on the shot clock.  The Mids forced the Terriers to run time off the clock before Brittain-Watts took a tough shot that missed and was grabbed by Wieck.  He quickly passed the ball to John Carter Jr. (So., Spring Hill, Tenn.), who was fouled with 0.7 seconds left. 
 
Carter missed the first shot but made the second to push the lead to 60-58.  BU called timeout, but the inbounds pass hit a basket hanging over the court from the ceiling.  That gave the ball back to the Mids.  Navy started to inbound the ball, but before doing so BU fouled Davis.  He would miss both shots.  After his second miss, Mahoney let the ball land on the ground –– no Navy players stood in the free throw lane –– and heaved it toward the BU basket.  His attempt was wide and short of the goal to end the game.
 
"They jumped on us 4-0 at the start of overtime," said DeChellis.  "We came back and scored the next six points.  That was really the tell of the tale.
 
"I'm really proud of our kids.  They did a great job."
 
BU made one more field goal than Navy, 22-21, and five more three-point field goals, 8-3, but the Mids were 15-24 from the foul line and the Terriers were 6-9 from the charity stripe.
 
Navy also held a 34-30 advantage on the glass, but committed 16 turnovers and forced 12.
 
Summers led Navy with both 19 points and eight rebounds.  Davis joined him in double figures with 17 points, while Wieck totaled eight points and six boards.
 
"Big rebounds (by Summers); scoring the ball; big steal; he had some really big plays for us down the stretch," said DeChellis.  "It was fun to see.  Cam didn't have the night shooting he wanted to have, but he had open shots.  Everybody contributed to the game.  I think Evan played much better in the second half than he did in the first."
 
BU's Mahoney posted a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds and also added four steals.
 
Navy will play host to Army Saturday at 1:30 p.m.  That gave will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.