ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- A late rally by the second-seeded Navy men's basketball team fell short in a 52-51 loss by the Mids (18-13) to seventh-seeded American (17-14), Thursday night at Alumni Hall in Annapolis, in the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League Tournament.  

"Just really disappointed for our kids," said Navy head coach Ed DeChellis.  "Disappointed for our seniors.  We played one of the worst games we played all year offensively.  That was really, really frustrating.  We just couldn't make a basket.  We kept trying too hard to make a basket.  Every possession it was as if the ball was going to explode.  We missed some easy shots, couldn't make a perimeter shot."

Navy took leads of 20-9 and 25-15, but American closed the half on an 18-2 run to take a 33-27 lead at intermission.  The Eagles shot 65 percent from the field in the half and limited the Mids to a 39-percent showing.

"We were playing pretty good," said DeChellis.  "About the seven or six-minute mark we just started throwing the ball away and couldn't make a shot, and couldn't defend them.  That's the game.  We were up 10, 11 points.  We weren't playing great, but we were playing well enough.  Then we lost our focus, let them score some layups and fouled them.  We never climbed back."

Navy was able to winnow the margin down to four points at 40-36 in the early stages of the second half, but American took a 46-38 advantage as it held the Mids scoreless for over 6:38, which was the team's second-longest scoring drought of the season.  It soon was a 47-40 cushion for the Eagles with just under five minutes still to play.

Navy cut the deficit down to three points at 47-44, then made it a one-possession game at 49-46 when Christian Jones (Sr., Bowie, Md.) made two free throws with 1:19 left on the clock.  The Eagles took their time on their ensuing possession and came away with a basket to push the lead to 52-46 with 53.5 seconds remaining.

Daniel Deaver (Sr., Falls Church, Va.) scored on a dunk with 31.7 seconds remaining to make the score 52-48.  The Mids fouled Johnny O'Neil with 27.2 seconds left and he missed the front end of the bonus.  Navy grabbed the carom and rushed the ball down the court.  The 6-8 Deaver drained a three-point shot to close the margin down to 52-51 with 19.1 seconds left.

The Mids again committed a foul, this time with 17.5 seconds remaining.  Elijah Stephens stepped to the free throw line and he too missed his first attempt on a bonus opportunity.  Navy snared the loose ball, rushed it over halfcourt and called timeout with 12.5 seconds left.

Jones inbounded the ball in front of the Navy bench.  Several passes were made around the three-point line and then American knocked the ball loose.  The ball careened over halfcourt where Jones picked it up and tried a shot from midcourt that was off the mark as the buzzer sounded.

After shooting 39 percent in the first half, the Mids were limited to a 35.7-percent mark in the second half.  The Eagles also saw their percentage drop to 44.4 percent after halftime as Navy outscored American, 24-19, in the final 20 minutes.

"I give our kids credit," said DeChellis.  "We fought back and gave ourselves a chance.  We thought we had a play on the sideline and we turned it over and the ball came bouncing out.  That was the story of the day; nothing was really crisp, nothing was really sharp."

The Mids totaled 11 offensive rebounds and committed just seven turnovers while the Eagles tallied five offensive caroms and committed 17 turnovers. However, Navy could not turn those extra opportunities into points as the Mids held leads of just 10-6 in second chance points and 15-9 in points after turnovers.

Navy was held to the team's second-lowest scoring output of the season (50 vs. Lafayette) and its second-lowest field goal percentage (.328 vs. Holy Cross).  The Mids had scored at least 60 points in each of their last seven games.

Deaver paced the Mids in points (18) and rebounds (9) and shared the team lead in assists (5).  

"Our seniors had a great run here," said DeChellis.  "Really proud of what they have been able to accomplish and be part of some really good basketball teams.  It just didn't happen for them tonight and I feel horrible about that.  Somehow I didn't get them ready to play offensively."