Stony Brook held a four-point lead (68-64) with 29 seconds to go
in regulation, but the Mids were able to chip it down to one (69-68)
behind free throws by junior forward Matt Fannin (Lakewood, Ohio) and a
tip-in by freshman Greg Sprink (Cardiff, Calif.). During that run, 
Stony Brook was just 1 for 4 from the charity stripe.
Freshman Antwan Hardy, who earned the start in the game because
of a broken foot suffered by sophomore guard Mitchell Beauford at Rhode
Island Wednesday, knocked down a pair of free throws with three seconds
to play to put the Seawolves back up by three points. With time
running
out, Navy freshman Corey Johnson (Anderson, Ind.) knocked down a
three-pointer to beat the buzzer and send the game into extra minutes.
Johnson was just 1 for 10 from the floor before hitting the triple.
"At first when I shot it, I didn't think it counted," recalled
Johnson. "I looked over at the ref and he had his arms up and he said
it counted."
Navy outscored the Seawolves 7-2 over the first 3:30 of
overtime, but a tip-in by Stony Brook's Mike Orfini triggered a run
which held the Mids scoreless over the final 1:30. Orfini was
responsible for five of the seven points in the run.
Five players scored in double figures for the Seawolves, led by
Hardy's 19 points. Center Cori Spencer, who chipped in 16 points and
nine boards, was one of three Stony Brook players to foul out of the
game.
Stony Brook outboarded the Midshipmen 60-44, but Navy forced a
season-high 21 turnovers by the Seawolves who entered the game
averaging
just under 13 turnovers per contest.
"Offensive rebounding was the key to the 
game," said Navy head
coach Billy Lange regarding the 22-15 advantage the Seawolves held on
the offensive glass. "We didn't execute that aspect of the game.
"We played one of our better games, but I was disappointed with
our start in both halves," added Lange. "It's not bad players, it was
bad effort. On a positive note, I felt like we were unselfish and had
great stretches of team defense."
Navy was led by sophomore David Hooper's (Dale City, Va.)
23-point effort. He was 6 for 16 from the field and 8 for 9 from the
charity stripe. Fannin turned in 18 points and 11 rebounds before
fouling out late in the overtime period. Two freshmen also provided
the
Mids with fine performances. Ben Biles (Cramerton, N.C.) turned in
four
points and a career-high five rebounds, while Sprink tallied six points
and added four boards and a team-high tying four assists.
While Navy shot just 33.8 percent (24-71) from the field,
including 29.4 percent (10-34) in the second half, it showed much
improvement at the line where the Mids made 72.7 percent (24-33).
The Mids have the week off for final exams, but return to the
court next Saturday when they play host to Gettysburg. Game time is
set
for 7:30 p.m. at Alumni Hall.
David Hooper launches a 3. (GM/Ed Kujat)