Navy men's basketball entered the Patriot League Tournament in a serious slump, having closed the regular season losing 8 of 11 games. Head coach Ed DeChellis said on Monday it "only took one game to turn things around."
DeChellis can only hope Tuesday night's gritty first round win can propel the Midshipmen to an improbable postseason run.
Senior point guard Tilman Dunbar scored 22 points and dished off eight assists as seventh-seeded Navy built a big lead then thwarted a late charge to beat No. 10 Lafayette, 78-70, in front of 687 fans at Alumni Hall.