LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Aidan Kehoe scored 15 of his game-high 26 points in the second half and recorded another double-double during a 76-60 victory by the Navy men's basketball team over Bucknell (8-18, 5-8), Monday night at Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, Pa.

The win improves Navy's overall record to 20-6 on the season, giving the Mids their 11th 20-win campaign in school history (last was 21 in 2021-22).  Navy also has put together a 12-1 record in league play, which ties the record for the most Patriot League wins by a Navy team in a season (12 in 2020-21 and 2021-22).  Additionally, it is the first time since the 2016-17 season in which the Mids have posted a winning streak in league games of at least eight in a row in a single season (Navy won eight in a row in 2016-17).

Navy also assures itself of a home game in the quarterfinal round of the league tournament.

"I thought Aidan was a really big key for us in the second half," said Navy head coach Jon Perry.  "He was getting deeper post-ups and we were feeding him the ball at the right time.  He was on the boards all night getting us extra possessions on offense and he also had some important rebounds for us defensively."

Navy used a 10-3 run to take an 18-11 lead with a little more than nine minutes left in the first half.  It became a nine-point lead at 25-16 before Bucknell closed to within six points at 27-21.  The Mids closed the half on an 8-3 run to take a 35-24 lead at the break.

Navy shot 44.1 percent from the floor in the first half and held Bucknell to a 33.3-percent effort.  The Mids were helped by a 9-1 advantage on the offensive glass, which led to an 11-2 cushion in second chance points.

Navy extended its lead to 42-26 less than three minutes into the second half, but Bucknell needed less than two minutes to slice the margin down to 42-35.

Navy answered with the next six points –– baskets by Kehoe started and ended the spurt ––to take a 48-35 lead with 12:30 on the clock.  From there, the Mids methodically built leads of 53-37, 60-41 and eventually 65-44 with 5:35 left on the clock.  The lead stayed at least 14 points over the remainder of the game.

The Mids shot 53.8 percent from the field in the second half, with Kehoe shooting 75 percent on a 6-8 effort.  Defensively, Navy held Bucknell to a 38.9-percent mark after halftime, which included a 22.2-percent showing from three-point range (4-18).  Navy ended the game shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and holding Bucknell to a 36.5-percent effort overall and a 6-32 (18.8%) mark from beyond the arc.  

"Intent," said how Perry described the key to the defensive success.  "They are connected; it is five guys versus the ball.  They are really dialed in to the scout.  The staff is doing a great job with how we are going to take away some things from our opponents.  They guys are believing.  Defense wins championships and I think they are starting to understand that."

The Mids were credited with 19 assists on their 29 made field goals.

Navy did a great job on the glass on both ends of the floor.  The Mids totaled 13 offensive rebounds and 32 defensive boards while limiting the Bison to eight offensive rebounds –– on 40 missed shots –– and 20 defensive caroms for a 45-28 overall advantage.  That helped Navy to a 17-9 lead in second-chance points, and it also helped spark the Mids to a 17-0 lead in fast break points.

"The transition game was big for us," said Perry.  "When we were able to get stops, we were out and running.  I was encouraging that because they (Bucknell) were playing a lot of zone, whether it was their match-up or their 1-3-1.  When we were getting stops, we just wanted to beat them down the floor.  I thought we took advantage of that."

Kehoe posted his eighth 20-point double-double of the season as he grabbed 12 rebounds –– seven on the offensive end –– to go along with his 26 points on 11-16 shooting from the floor.  He also contributed five assists, three steals and two blocks.

Jinwoo Kim drained a trio of three-point field goals on his way to scoring 18 points and grabbing four rebounds, while Donovan Draper just missed a double-double by one board with his 14-point, nine-rebound game.  

"Jinwoo stepped up and made three timely three-point baskets," said Perry.

Navy heads to Hamilton, N.Y., Saturday for the first meeting of the season against second-place Colgate.  The noon game will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.