Around the Base: Conference Titles, Championships, and Award Lists

Air Force Basketball Tops Army in Road Victory

Several important milestones fell as the Air Force Falcons traveled to West Point and took down the Black Knights on the hardwood. It was the first time ever that Air Force had won at Cristl Arena. It was also the first time since 2013 that they were able to beat Army, having lost five straight coming into the matchup. The victory also gave head coach Dave Pilipovich his 100th win as the coach at Air Force.

Though they fell down 10-0 to start the game, the Falcons battled back to take a 29-26 lead into the locker room. The second half was a back-and-forth affair until a string of eight consecutive three point plays put Air Force ahead for good at 60-50. They held on for a 69-57 win behind 17 points from senior Lavelle Scottie and a double double from Ryan Swan.

Army Women’s Basketball Defeats Air Force in Come From Behind Win

On the flip side, and also in a road victory, it was a huge come from behind win for Army against Air Force in women’s basketball. Falling behind 39-18 and ending the half at 39-22, Army couldn’t put together anything in the first half. However, in the second half, it was a different story, as freshman Sabria Hunter scored 13 in the final 20 minutes and also grabbed ten rebounds to end with a double double on the night. Alisa Fallon also had a huge fourth quarter, scoring eight points to finish off the Falcons by a score of 68-66.

Army Sprint Football Beats Navy for CSFL Championship

For the second year in a row, the team who won the Star Series competition was unable to pull off a repeat in the CSFL Championship. Navy defeated Army 14-7 in the first meeting, using a big third quarter to secure the win. However, in the rematch, the Army defense was able to completely shutout the Mids, winning 13-0. A 7 yard touchdown run from Matthew Sauter with 3:15 to go in the first quarter put the Black Knights up 6-0 and then they rode a dominant defense to the win. A 56 yard touchdown strike in the fourth were the only other points scored in the game. Army held Navy to just 125 yards of total offense in the contest. Navonte Dean finished the game with 10 tackles and Bobby Downing contributed nine as Army avenged its earlier defeat and returned the CSFL Championship trophy to the banks of the Hudson.

Navy Women’s Soccer Defeats Army for Patriot League Title

As if beating Army for the second time on the season wasn’t enough, the Navy women’s soccer team did it in the Patriot League Championship, securing a berth to the NCAA tournament where they will take on the Wolfpack of NC State tomorrow in Raleigh. They also found their way onto the Sportscenter Top 10 as Victoria Tran’s goal that earned them the win came in at #7 on the day. Though they fell behind 1-0 in the first half, the Mids were able to come from behind thanks to goals from Carolyn Mang and Tran to get the 2-1 victory. Make sure you tune in Friday night at 7 PM as the Mids take on the Wolfpack in Raleigh. This is the fifth time in program history and first since 2007 that Navy is in the NCAA tournament.

Navy QB Malcolm Perry, OL Ford Higgins and DC Brian Newberry Get Recognition

Malcolm Perry has been named a semifinalist for the prestigious Davey O’Brien trophy following his tremendous season thus far that has Navy sitting at 7-1. The senior QB leads the team with 1,042 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns and is just 278 passing yards away from a 1000/1000 season with at least five games to play.

Joining Perry in the awards semifinalist category is his fellow offensive captain and Navy Athletics Captain of the Captains for the 2019-2020 year in center Ford Higgins. Higgins has led a resurgence of the offensive line and offensive production this season, but this award is more about what he does off the field as a leader throughout the Brigade. Higgins is also joined on this list by Air Force quarterback Isaiah Sanders.

Finally, no list of recognition would be complete without defensive coordinator Brian Newberry, who has been named as a Broyles Award nominee and with good measure. Navy’s defense has seen a turnaround of epic proportions in 2019, currently sitting at 15th in scoring defense for the season at just 18.1 points per game. It honestly will be a travesty if he is not named a semifinalist for this award.