Navy basketball handed Penn a harsh 81-76 defeat on Veterans’ Day in Annapolis after erasing a 15-point first-half deficit with a dominant 20-0 run, as reported by The Daily Pennsylvanian.
The Quakers dropped to 1-2 on the young season despite strong performances from senior forward TJ Power and junior guard Sir Mohammed. Power led the team with 26 points, eight rebounds, and four steals, while Mohammed added 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
“It gives you such a great appreciation for the … young people that go here,” coach Fran McCaffery said, as reported by The Daily Pennsylvanian. “I think it gives everybody great pride to know who’s protecting us.”
Penn started aggressively in the 13th annual Veterans Classic at the United States Naval Academy, jumping out to a 21-6 lead less than eight minutes into the contest. The Quakers utilized effective doubling and blitzing strategies on defense to force early turnovers.
Then the momentum flipped entirely. Navy (3-1) responded with a 20-0 run over a six-minute span to turn a 15-point deficit into a 25-20 lead, eventually taking a 36-34 advantage into halftime.
“They executed offensively in that stretch big time, but we didn’t,” McCaffery said, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “I felt we … didn’t sustain the intensity that we had to start the game. They took advantage of it.”
Shooting struggles at the free-throw line compounded Penn’s problems. The Quakers converted just 17 of their 29 free throws, missing several scoring opportunities.
On the glass, the Midshipmen thoroughly controlled the paint, outrebounding the Quakers 46 to 34. That rebounding margin translated into a 20-to-9 advantage for Navy in second-chance points.
“I mean that’s why it’s 46-34 … it’s too many,” McCaffery told The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Navy guard Jordan Pennick led all scorers with 29 points, shooting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Despite the loss, Penn continued its early-season trend of forcing turnovers, outscoring Navy by five points off opponent miscues.
The Quakers look to rebound on Saturday, Nov. 14, when they travel to face St. Joseph’s at 6:30 p.m.
“I think we got talented players,” McCaffery said, as reported by The Daily Pennsylvanian. “We just got to develop.”
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