Patrick Stevens The Washington Times - January 21, 2009, 11:24PM

Just back from Annapolis, where Navy collected an impressive 74-68 victory over Holy Cross.

That’s mainly because beating Ralph Willard‘s Crusaders is usually a fairly impressive feat in the Patriot League, given the size and physicality Bob Cousy U. often brings to bear against comparable teams.

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Navy had lost 17 in a row to Holy Cross before last season; it’s now taken three straight, and the Mids are now tied for second in the PL —- a half-game in arrears of American.

It will sound counterintuitive to credit the frontcourt, since Holy Cross held a 54-18 edge in the paint. But forwards Adam Teague and Mark Veazey played significant roles.

The plus-minus says Navy was far better off when Teague was on the floor, and when he had second-half foul trouble the Mids just went to a four-guard lineup. Veazey, meanwhile, turned in a graceful 20-point performance, flummoxing the Crusaders with his ability to float away from the basket and knock down mid-range baseline jumpers.

Here’s the full plus-minus for Navy, which has a visit to Army set for Sunday:

Player 1st half
 2nd half
 Total Min.
5-Harris +5 +3 +8 39
11-Colbert -2 +4 +2 25
22-Richards 
-1 DNP -1 2
23-Avworo +2 0 +2 28
24-Kina +2 0 +2 36
25-Sugars -5 +3 -2 11
32-Brooks 0 DNP 0 1
33-Teague +10 +3 +13 23
44-Veazey +4 +2 +6 35

—- Patrick Stevens