Dec. 31, 2004

Charleston, SC - "It's a barroom brawl!" Navy basketball coach Billy Lange yelled after watching two Citadel players trap one of his Midshipmen, forcing another turnover.

Lange wasn't far off. The military school rivals combined for 57 fouls and 79 free throws before The Citadel emerged with a hard-fought 87-72 victory Thursday afternoon in front of a season-high 2,178 fans at McAlister Field House.

The Citadel's Mac Brothers -- sophomore guard Donny McLendon and freshman forward Warren -- combined for 40 points, leading four Bulldogs in double figures as The Citadel improved to 8-2 overall, the team's best start since 1982.

Donny McLendon scored 23 points, 15 in the second half. Warren McLendon, limited to 20 minutes by foul trouble, still produced 17 points and six rebounds. Sophomore forward J'mel Everhart put together his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds, and junior point guard Kevin Hammack had 19 points, five assists and eight steals in 37 minutes. A weary Hammack also was hounded into eight turnovers by Navy's all-out man-to-man defense, and emerged from the locker room with ice packs on both knees.

"They played hard as I don't know what," Hammack said of the Midshipmen, who are 4-7 in their first season under Lange, a 32-year-old former Villanova assistant. "They pick up fullcourt, get after you. I think they play probably the toughest defense we've faced all year."

Citadel coach Pat Dennis was still shaking his head minutes after the game.

"I tell you what, they played so hard and with so much energy, it's incredible," Dennis said of Navy. "They play with a great, great energy, denying everything, pressuring the ball. We had trouble doing anything in the first half."

Though Navy shot just 27.3 percent in the first half, the Midshipmen outrebounded the Bulldogs by 26-16 -- including a 12-3 edge on the offensive glass -- and trailed by just 36-32 at the break.

But in the second half, Dennis had his players spread out their offensive sets, creating driving lanes for Hammack, Donny McLendon and Everhart. That trio combined for 34 of the Bulldogs' 51 points in the second half.

"We went to more of a motion, open offense and spread the floor, and that gave them problems," Dennis said. "Because then we had room to operate."

The confidence built early this season showed in the second half, as the Bulldogs time and again fought off Navy rallies before pulling away in the final minutes.

Navy closed to within 40-39 when Hammack drove the lane and dished to Warren McLendon, who dunked as he was fouled and converted the 3-point play. It was 43-42 when the Bulldogs again went inside to the 6-5, 254-pound McLendon, who was fouled and hit two free throws.

Brother Donny followed with a veteran move, pushing off a Navy defender before sinking a jumper for a 47-42 lead.

Navy's last gasp came at 10:38, when David Hooper (15 points) hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 52-50. Everhart, left alone in the right corner, hit his only 3-point try of the game as Lange screamed, "How'd he get the shot?" Donny McLendon added another trey from the left corner, and the Bulldogs were off on a 16-5 run, their lead reaching 17 points in the final minutes.

"It's just confidence," Hammack said. "We go out there knowing we're going to get a win instead of hoping to put ourselves in a position to maybe get a win."

The Bulldogs also got key minutes from junior Matt Davis, who had eight points and four rebounds in 22 minutes, and 6-8 sophomore Aaron Xia, who hit all six of his free throws and played 19 minutes.

The Citadel, 1-0 in the Southern Conference, will begin the new year with a tough stretch of four road games in the first five, including dates at SoCon foes Chattanooga, Furman and Wofford.

"This stretch is going to be hard," Dennis said. "But I feel a whole lot better going on the road with this team than I did last year."