Navy men’s basketball led Wednesday night’s Patriot League opener against Boston University for just over one minute. Fortunately for the Midshipmen, most of that time came in the final minute of the game.
Sophomore point guard Austin Benigni scored off a determined driving layup to give Navy just its second lead with 30 seconds left and the home team held on to beat Boston University, 62-60, before an announced crowd of 1,007 at Alumni Hall.
Junior guard Lysander Rehnstrom made a huge defensive play in the final seconds, blocking Boston’s potential go-ahead layup. Rehnstrom was fouled and made a free throw with 1.4 seconds left to seal an improbable comeback victory.
Benigni made 8 of 10 free throws in scoring 22 points to lead Navy (5-7, 1-0), which trailed by double digits throughout the first half and was still down by 11 with 8:59 remaining in the game. Junior guard Mac MacDonald tied a career-high with 17 points for the Midshipmen, who trailed for more than 37 of the 40 minutes.
“We didn’t play our best game. Individually, we had guys who played poorly. The most important thing is they found a way to win,” Navy coach Ed DeChellis said. “They never gave up. They dug in and made big plays down the stretch. We didn’t play well, but when the game was on the line we found a way to win. I’m proud of the players for that.”
With the score tied at 57, Navy called a 30-second timeout after Draper grabbed an offensive rebound. DeChellis set up a play designed to clear the right side of the floor and give Benigni an opportunity to drive to the basket.
It worked perfectly as Benigni aggressively took the ball right at Boston defender Ben Roy, then finished with a left-handed layup to make it 59-57 with half a minute remaining.
“We’re going to put the ball in his hands and create an alley for him to drive. We’re going to get him going downhill and try to make a play,” DeChellis said of Benigni, who once again provided strong floor leadership and finished with four assists and zero turnovers.
Meanwhile, MacDonald came off the bench to make 6 of 9 field goals, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. “MacDonald came in and gave us a big lift. Mac poked his head up tonight and made some big shots,” DeChellis said.
Sophomore forward Donovan Draper came alive down the stretch to score five of his seven points and also grabbed 10 rebounds for the Mids. Senior wing guard Austin Inge managed only three points on 1-for-7 shooting, but made an impact by collecting seven caroms.
Senior swingman Anthony Morales came off the bench to score 11 points and grab seven rebounds for Boston University (5-9), which made just 2 of 12 field goal attempts over the final 8 ½ minutes. Junior guard Ethan Okwuosa, a transfer from Southern New Hampshire, totaled 11 points and five rebounds for the Terriers.
“This was really the first time we’ve been in a close game all year. I thought we were a little antsy, a little unsure of ourselves,” Boston coach Joe Jones said. “You have to be in a close game to learn how to win a close game.”
DeChellis didn’t know what to expect from Boston, which graduated its top six scorers and 10 players overall. Jones brought in eight newcomers, including several talented transfers.
Boston won five games by double digits and also suffered several lopsided losses during the nonconference portion of the schedule — making it a difficult team to get a read on.
It turns out the Terriers looked a lot like past teams under Jones, who has consistently kept the program in the top half of the Patriot League. BU was long, athletic and had a lot of height.
That size and length gave Navy a lot of trouble on the offensive end and both backboards. The Midshipmen shot 29% (8-for-28) from the field in the first half and had two lengthy droughts. Meanwhile, the Terriers held a commanding 27-17 rebounding advantage at the break.
“They’re a very big, very athletic and very long team. We had a hard time getting some shots off,” DeChellis said.
Okwuosa made back-to-back jumpers to cap a 12-2 run that gave Boston an 18-6 lead midway through the first half. That coincided with a stretch in which Navy made just 1 of 10 field goals. The Mids trailed by 12 points twice before closing the half with a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 29-23.
“I thought we played really tight to start the game. We were tight as a banjo string and I don’t know why,” DeChellis said.
Consecutive 3-pointers by MacDonald pulled Navy within one, 36-35, just over five minutes into the second half. However, Boston responded with a 10-0 run that featured six points by Morales — rebuilding the lead to double digits.
That is when Navy turned it up on the defensive end, forcing Boston into six missed shots and a turnover over the span of seven possessions. MacDonald made a driving layup and a 3-pointer from the elbow to spark a 13-1 run over the span of 3 ½ minutes.
Draper followed a missed shot and was fouled, converting a 3-point play that gave Navy its first lead of the game, 52-51 with 4:56 remaining. There were four lead changes down the stretch before Benigni gave the Mids the lead for good.
Navy scored 39 points and shot 52% (13-25) from the field in the second half. Meanwhile, Boston made only 8 of 25 field goals after intermission.
DeChellis, who described the game as a “rock fight in a phone booth,” was happy to see his squad pull out an improbable win at home. “We fought for it. It wasn’t like they just handed it over to us. We stole one here at home, but had to fight to get it,” he said.