Navy sails by Marine Corps; Army and Air Force battle through double overtime

Navy picks up their first win and Army remains undefeated as round one of the 2016 Armed Forces Men’s Basketball Championship concludes at the Barber Fitness Center at MCB Quantico, Virginia on November 3rd.

Navy’s Ensign Tilman Dunbar of the USS Bataan led the board with 16 points and five assists as Navy topped Marine Corps 73-58.

Navy dominated the first half leading 35-21 at the mid-buzzer. Marines rallied to within five points early in the second half. With the score at 43-38, Navy scored ten unanswered points and held on to the lead from there.

DOUBLE OVERTIME

In the battle of the unbeaten, Army and Air Force fiercely battled from the beginning through double overtime.

Neither team led the other by more than four points. Army hoped to seal the deal at both the end of regulation and the first overtime, but Air Force refused to go down quietly.

In the second overtime, Army pulled out in front and took advantage of critical Air Force fouls.

Spc. Mamadou Seck of Fort Stewart, Ga. once again led Army in scoring with 23-points and 12 rebounds to include the final point of the game. Spc. Derell Henderson of Fort Hood Texas scored 19 and pulled down ten rebounds of his own.

Air Force Senior Airman Anthony Morris of Maxwell AFB, Alabama and 1st Lt. Michael Fitzgerald of Hanscom AFB, Mass scored 20 and 19 points respectively keeping Air Force in the game.

Army remains unbeaten in the first round of the championship. Round two begins on November 4th. Air Force hopes to rebound to defend their gold medal for the ninth straight time.

The 2016 Armed Forces Championship format consists of double round robin play, where each team faces one another twice for seeding. The top two best records will face one another in the championship match to claim the 2016 Armed Forces crown.