The U.S. Naval Academy men’s basketball team used two significant scoring runs to secure an 87-71 win over Loyola University Maryland at Alumni Hall on Saturday.
Navy built a 13-point lead midway through the first half with a 22-6 run and later opened the second half with an 11-2 stretch, maintaining a double-digit margin for much of the game.
Emmett Adair led Loyola with 28 points, one shy of his career high, while Braeden Speed added 25 points. Despite their efforts, Navy shot 66.5 percent from the field overall.
Loyola held an early 11-8 lead just over five minutes into the game after two free throws by Speed. However, Cam Cole sparked Navy’s decisive first-half run, capped by his three-pointer that extended their lead to 30-17 with just under ten minutes left in the period.
Loyola responded with a series of three-pointers—two from Speed and additional shots from Adair and Sebastien Emenalo—which narrowed the gap. Aidan Kehoe led Navy with 23 points, converting all eleven of his field goal attempts, and helped keep the Midshipmen ahead 44-36 at halftime.
Adair opened the second half scoring for Loyola to cut the deficit to six, but Navy answered with another run to extend its lead to fifteen points. Later in the half, two quick three-pointers from Adair brought Loyola within eight points at 72-64 with under six minutes remaining, but they were unable to close the gap further.
Speed and Adair combined for most of Loyola’s offense, accounting for 52 out of their team’s 71 points. Adair also grabbed seven rebounds, while Speed contributed four assists.
Loyola will return home to face Lehigh University at Reitz Arena on Wednesday, February 4 at 7 p.m.
