The bench for Navy women’s basketball came alive on Tuesday and lead the Mids to a come-from-behind 55-51 victory over visiting Towson.  After struggling to 30 points in the first 31 minutes of the game, the ladies outscored the Tigers 25-10 in the closing 9 to secure the victory.  Of the 55 points scored by Navy, 42 came off the bench.  It was not a game for those who like to see effective shooting: Towson was 0-14 from three while Navy shot just 5-of-26.  And both teams shot below 37% for the game.  But when it came to crunch time, Navy got the hot hand.  Over those final 9 minutes, Navy was 50% from beyond the arc, 64% from the field, and 82% at the free throw line.  This victory ends a six game home stand where the Mids went 5-1.  This weekend they fly out to the Pacific Northwest for a pair of games against Portland State and Oregon.

Men’s basketball fell at home last night to previously winless Penn 57-46.  It was pretty much over by halftime as the Quakers closed on a 28-11 run.  Navy did clamp down in the 2nd half, allowing just 19 points.  But the Mids were themselves just 33% from the field in the final 20 minutes, including a paltry 2-for-12 from three.  This isn’t the start to the season we may have expected after watching Navy hang with Michigan State in the opener.  But we also didn’t expect so many injuries.  As Bill Wagner of the Capital Gazette writes, Navy Coach Ed DeChellis has used a lot of freshmen in a year when we expected to have more depth.  Yes, it’s disheartening, but the team should be healthier for the start of Patriot League at the end of the month.

Men’s soccer senior defender Joseph Greenspan has been selected as a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, the top individual award in collegiate soccer, by the National Coaches Soccer Association of America (NSCAA).  This continues a string of accolades for Greenspan, who won his second consecutive Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year award this year.  He is one of just two defenders among the 16 semifinalists.  Greenspan anchored a Navy defense that had a 0.65 goals against average and tallied 9 clean sheets in 20 matches.  We’ll keep an eye out for the announcement of All-American teams, as Greenspan is sure to be present on a good many of those as well.

Women’s soccer senior defender Jade Seabrook was named to the All-Mid-Atlantic Region First Team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for the third consecutive year (a 1st for Navy).  Previously, Seabrook had been named the Patriot League defender of the year.  She lead the team in minutes played with 1,832 and tallied 11 points on 4 goals and 3 assists.

Senior men’s basketball guard Kevin Alter has been nominated for the Allstate NABC Good Works Team.  The award is designed to recognize student-athletes who are involved with their communities and dedicate their time to helping others.  Alter volunteers with Covenant House, a homelessness shelter in Washington DC and works with his hometown (Rumson, NJ) to raise money for Homes for Our Troops.

Quick Hits:

• Women’s Indoor Track tallied 9 wins at the Navy Lid Lifter on Tuesday.
• Through the conclusion of fall sports, Navy sits 3rd in the Patriot League President’s Cup race.  Bucknell, who participates in 2 additional fall sports, sits in 1st place, while Boston University is in 2nd.
• Squash lost their first match of the season, falling 6-2 to #9 Penn (the Quakers had it out for us yesterday, didn’t they).  The team travels to New Hampshire to face #11 Dartmouth on Saturday.