Wednesday, January 7
Annapolis, Md.
7 p.m.
Bucknell University
4-12,1-2Patriot
55
at
76
Navy
11-5,3-0Patriot
1
2
F
Bucknell
32
23
55
Navy
33
43
76
Photo by: Matt Schumacher
Navy Breaks Open One-Point Game at Half, Downs Bison Men 76-55
1/7/2026 9:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Fill-in starter Jordan Pennick hit seven 3-pointers and scored 23 points to lift Patriot League preseason favorite Navy to a 76-55 win over Bucknell on Wednesday night at Alumni Hall. Ruot Bijiek tallied 16 points and six rebounds for the Bison, who trailed by just a point at halftime before the Midshipmen blew it open with a 20-3 run to start the second half.
Amon Dörries tallied 15 points and Pat Curtin added 11 for the Bison, who dropped to 1-2 in the Patriot League. Navy, now 3-0 in league play, also received 23 points from Austin Benigni and 20 with 12 rebounds from Aidan Kehoe.
Pennick, who replaced injured senior Donovan Draper in the starting lineup, hit back-to-back 3-pointers and scored eight straight points within the opening three minutes of the second half to stretch what had just been a 33-32 game at the half all the way up to 11 at 43-32.
After Dörries answered with a 3-pointer, Navy rattled off another 10 points in a row to stretch the run to 20-3, and the Midshipmen had a commanding 53-35 lead at the 14:14 mark. They went on to lead by as many as 25 late in the contest.
Bucknell led for more than 15 minutes in the first half and by as many as seven at 13-6 after back-to-back 3-pointers from Curtin and Bijiek. Bijiek's third trey of the half made it 28-23, but Navy went on a 10-2 run over a near-four-minute span to take its first lead since 6-4.
Benigni's breakaway layup gave Navy a 33-30 lead in the closing seconds, but Dörries beat the buzzer with a layup off a nice feed from Jayden Williams to make it a 1-point game at the half.
Bucknell shot 34.0 percent from the field after being held to 8-for-29 (.276) in the second half. The Bison went 8-for-31 from downtown and 11-for-14 from the foul line. Navy shot 53.6 percent in the second half and 47.3 percent overall. The Midshipmen knocked down 10 3-pointers in 23 attempts. Pennick, who came in shooting 28.8 percent from the arc on the season, went 7-for-12 in this one.
Sophomore Matt Lange, the son of former Navy coach Billy Lange, knocked down a 3-pointer late in the game for his first career field goal.
The Bison return to action at home on Saturday against Loyola at 5 p.m. It will be the 21st Annual Dirk Sojka's Slam Dunk with Bison basketball. Proceeds from the game, including a raffle drawing and silent auction, will benefit SUNCOM Industries, a local organization that provides a workplace for people with developmental and physical disabilities. The late Dirk Sojka, son of former Bucknell University president Gary Sojka and his wife Sandy, was employed by SUNCOM prior to his passing.
Amon Dörries tallied 15 points and Pat Curtin added 11 for the Bison, who dropped to 1-2 in the Patriot League. Navy, now 3-0 in league play, also received 23 points from Austin Benigni and 20 with 12 rebounds from Aidan Kehoe.
Pennick, who replaced injured senior Donovan Draper in the starting lineup, hit back-to-back 3-pointers and scored eight straight points within the opening three minutes of the second half to stretch what had just been a 33-32 game at the half all the way up to 11 at 43-32.
After Dörries answered with a 3-pointer, Navy rattled off another 10 points in a row to stretch the run to 20-3, and the Midshipmen had a commanding 53-35 lead at the 14:14 mark. They went on to lead by as many as 25 late in the contest.
Bucknell led for more than 15 minutes in the first half and by as many as seven at 13-6 after back-to-back 3-pointers from Curtin and Bijiek. Bijiek's third trey of the half made it 28-23, but Navy went on a 10-2 run over a near-four-minute span to take its first lead since 6-4.
Benigni's breakaway layup gave Navy a 33-30 lead in the closing seconds, but Dörries beat the buzzer with a layup off a nice feed from Jayden Williams to make it a 1-point game at the half.
Bucknell shot 34.0 percent from the field after being held to 8-for-29 (.276) in the second half. The Bison went 8-for-31 from downtown and 11-for-14 from the foul line. Navy shot 53.6 percent in the second half and 47.3 percent overall. The Midshipmen knocked down 10 3-pointers in 23 attempts. Pennick, who came in shooting 28.8 percent from the arc on the season, went 7-for-12 in this one.
Sophomore Matt Lange, the son of former Navy coach Billy Lange, knocked down a 3-pointer late in the game for his first career field goal.
The Bison return to action at home on Saturday against Loyola at 5 p.m. It will be the 21st Annual Dirk Sojka's Slam Dunk with Bison basketball. Proceeds from the game, including a raffle drawing and silent auction, will benefit SUNCOM Industries, a local organization that provides a workplace for people with developmental and physical disabilities. The late Dirk Sojka, son of former Bucknell University president Gary Sojka and his wife Sandy, was employed by SUNCOM prior to his passing.
Team Stats
Buck
Navy
FG%
.340
.473
3FG%
.258
.435
FT%
.786
.778
RB
27
42
TO
13
14
STL
6
10
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
4
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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