NCAA News Wire
Navy 84, VMI 66
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Tilman Dunbar helped Navy take the lead early and then fight off visiting VMI later, finishing with a game-high 26 points as the Midshipmen scored an 84-66 victory over the Keydets on Tuesday at Alumni Hall in Annapolis, Md.
Dunbar, a guard, scored the game’s first five points to give Navy (3-7) a lead it never lost. The Midshipmen stretched the margin to 11 at one point in the first half before VMI (4-6) began to rally.
The Keydets cut the deficit to three a few times, the last coming at 48-45 early in the second half. Dunbar then scored seven points in a 10-4 run that put Navy in command with a 58-49 lead.
The Midshipmen pulled away, scoring the game’s final seven points to snap a three-game losing skid.
Dunbar made eight of 10 shots from the field plus 10 of 15 free throws. Guards Kevin Alter (14 points) and Zach Fong (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Midshipmen.
Navy guard Brandon Venturini finished with seven points, eight assists, 10 rebounds and four steals.
Guard QJ Peterson led VMI with 23 points, though he hit just eight of 19 shots from the floor. Guard Julian Eleby added 16 points, and forward Jordan Weethee added 14. The Keydets entered the game ranked second in the NCAA with an average of 91.1 points per game, but Navy slowed them down.
Navy next plays at Maryland-Eastern Shore on Saturday. VMI plays host to Marist on Saturday.
