By Ajan Caneda

Writer

The men’s basketball team continued its dominance in Patriot League play with a 66-51 victory at Navy on Saturday, improving its record to 17-6 overall and 7-0 in conference action. Mike Muscala ’13 scored 27 points on 11 for 15 shooting, tying his career high, to lead the Bison to their ninth straight victory.

“My teammates did a good job of finding me, whether it was on pick and pops or in the post,” Muscala said. “It was a good win for us, and moving forward we have to stay hungry and focus one game at a time.”

Despite a one-for-six start from the field, the Orange and Blue climbed back behind a 17-2 first half run that gave the Bison an 11 point lead 12 minutes into the first half.

Bryan Cohen ’12 was the second leading scorer for the Bison with 12 points, including a jumper that extended the lead to 18, the largest of the game, late in the first half. Defense was a priority for the Orange and Blue as guards Steven Kasper ’15 and Ryan Hill ’14 both had steals that were followed by baskets, contributing to the Bison’s 16-9 edge in points off turnovers. The Bison led 38-23 at halftime.

“Navy doubled down on Mike and it opened up opportunities for the guards to penetrate lanes and open shots on the perimeter,” Cohen said. “I was fortunate to knock down shots early in the game and that got me into a good rhythm.”

Navy began the second half with two quick baskets that trimmed the lead to 11, but it would not be able to cut the deficit to single digits, as the Bison continued their balanced shooting and tough defense. 

Field goal percentage would end up being the difference as the Bison shot 51.0% to Navy’s 36.4%. Forward Joe Willman ’13 crashed the boards throughout the game with a team-high nine rebounds, four of those on the offensive end. The Orange and Blue finished with 13 second-chance points. The Bison were also a perfect 10 for 10 from the free throw line.

With seven games left in the regular season, the Bison remain focused to acquire a second straight Patriot League championship. Their next game is a home contest against Army on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m.The Orange and Blue defeated the Black Knights 75-59 Jan. 7 at West Point.

“I think we have done a good job all year just going out and playing game by game,” Johnson said. “This win was big for us because now we have a little lead going into the second half of league play and we have a full week of practice to refocus and prepare for our next set of games.”