Jordan Pennick was not much of a scorer as a freshman for the Navy men’s basketball team. The Archbishop Spalding product averaged just 3.6 points in a reserve role.
Pennick is playing with a lot more confidence on the offensive end as a sophomore and already has two double-digit scoring performances in as many games after hitting double figures only once last season.
Pennick scored all 13 of his points in the second half and hit some clutch baskets during a crucial stretch to help Navy earn a hard-fought 85-80 victory over Harvard in the nightcap of the 11th annual Veterans Classic before an announced crowd of 3,010 at Alumni Hall on Friday night.
Junior point guard Austin Benigni was his usual hard-charging self in setting a Veterans Classic record by scoring 34 points for the Midshipmen, who improved their record in the event to 5-6 with two of those wins coming against Ivy League schools.
Benigni took the ball hard to the basket as usual and hit several acrobatic layups while also drawing fouls. The 5-foot-10, 171-pound dynamo set a school record by making 17 of 17 free throws, including six in the final 30 seconds to help the Mids put the game away.
Junior center Aidan Kehoe had a solid all-around game with 11 points, eight rebounds and five steals for Navy (1-1), which led for all but 2 1/2 minutes of the second half. The Midshipmen won with defense, forcing the Crimson into 19 turnovers and then converting on the other end.
“I think the number that sticks out to me is that we scored 28 points off their turnovers. Harvard had two points off turnovers. That’s a big difference,” Navy coach Ed DeChellis said.
Freshman guard Robert Hinton scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Harvard (1-1), which lost despite shooting 50% from the field. Sophomore forward Thomas Batties II drained five 3-pointers in netting 17 points for the Crimson.
While Benigni was a constant offensive presence throughout the game, Pennick stepped up at a critical juncture. After Harvard took its first lead of the second half at 52-51 at the 12:46 mark, Pennick responded by driving the baseline and swishing a running floater to put Navy back ahead.
Pennick then drained a 3-pointer to cap a 7-0 run that seemingly put the Mids back in control. However, Harvard used a 10-0 run to regain the advantage, 62-58, with 9:06 remaining. Once again, Pennick answered with a pair of clutch 3-pointers to spark 10-2 run that put the Mids ahead to stay.
“Jordan Pennick made some big shots at critical times,” DeChellis said. “It’s a whole different thing now having a year under your belt and some confidence. I’m really happy for Jordan tonight to have some success. A game like this gives him confidence.”
Pennick said after Friday night’s game that he didn’t look to score as a plebe, preferring to focus on defense. However, several long heart-to-heart talks with members of the coaching staff convinced Pennick that he needed to step up on the offensive end as well this season.
“I feel like I put the work in this summer and I do feel confident with my [offensive] game,” Pennick said. “I’m still not concerned about scoring. My defense translates to my offense.”
Benigni drew a total of 11 fouls with most coming at the rim. He took some hard shots from Harvard defenders and twice appeared hurt. DeChellis said Benigni put in considerable work with strength and conditioning coordinator Bryan Fitzpatrick and is much more capable of withstanding body blows.
“Austin is a much stronger, more powerful guy. When he falls I know he’s getting back up. He’s a tough kid and a real competitor,” DeChellis said.
Added Benigni: “You just have to collect your breath and take a second to recuperate. You gather yourself and go back out there. You just have to tough it out.”
Benigni does not leave practice until he makes 25 straight free throws and said that ritual paid off Friday night.
Harvard coach Tommy Amaker came away from the contest with nothing but respect for Benigni and his nonstop aggressive approach to the game.
“You can’t say enough about the little guy. He was just dynamic with the ball and made every free throw,” Amaker said. “He’s the heart and soul of their team and I feel they feed off the toughness he brings.”
Benigni scored 13 points and dished off five assists to pace Navy during a back-and-forth first half that featured six ties and eight lead changes. Kehoe used some nifty post moves to score all 11 of his points on 5 of 6 shooting.
Hinton and Batties combined to score 22 points on 9 of 12 shooting to lead Harvard, which shot a sizzling 50% from the floor in the first half. The Crimson canned three shots from beyond the arc during a 14-3 run that transformed an 18-17 deficit into a 31-21 lead. Navy used frenetic pressure defense to close the first half on a 19-3 run. Benigni scored 11 points during the run, which gave the Midshipmen a 40-34 halftime lead. He hit a 3-pointer and scored another six points off determined drives to the basket.
“That was a huge stretch of the game,” Amaker said of Navy’s run to close the first half. “I thought we got sloppy and careless with the ball and made some poor decisions offensively in addition to the turnovers.”
Gov. Wes Moore was honored on the court for being a combat veteran during a media timeout in the first half. Moore was recognized for serving as a lieutenant and paratrooper with the U.S. Army.
Athletic director Chet Gladchuk presented Moore with a No. 63 Navy basketball jersey. Moore is the 63rd governor of Maryland.
VCU beats Boston College, 80-55, in opener
Graduate student guard Phillip Russell led a balanced attack with 20 points as the Rams rolled in the opener of the Veterans Classic. Russell made 5 of 9 field goals and 8 of 12 free throws.
John Bamisile, another graduate student guard, just missed a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds for VCU (2-0), which took a 33-20 halftime lead and never looked back. Junior forward Christian Fermin (12 points) and graduate student forward Jack Clark (10 points) also reached double digits.
Sophomore guard Donald Hand Jr. scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds to pace Boston College (1-1), which shot just 29% (17-for-58) from the field.
Boston College center Chad Venning was limited to eight points on 2 of 5 field goal shooting. The 6-foot-9, 270-pound graduate student transfer from St. Bonaventure finished with only one rebound.
“From the very beginning I thought our guys were energetic on defense. Our goal was to disrupt as much as we possibly could,” said second-year VCU coach Ryan Odom, who spent five seasons at UMBC. “They’ve got a really good player in Chad Venning and we wanted to try to limit his touches. To limit him to five shots was huge for us.”
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