Navarro gets hot from 3, Eagles pick up two wins at Brunswick Classic

BOLIVIA, N.C. — Wake Tech men's basketball is back to .500 on the season after picking up two wins at the Brunswick Pre-Thanksgiving Classic this weekend.

Saturday they took down Harford 77-69. The Owls were 4-1 on the season coming into the event, including a win over Region 10 DI Richard Bland. The Eagles took a 30-22 lead into halftime, but the scoring picked up in the second half, with the teams scoring 47 points each after the break. Wake Tech led by as many as 18 points in the second half, with several players contributing offensively. 

The 76-67 win over CCBC Catonsville on Sunday proved to be the trickier of the two, with the Eagles having to comeback from being down 41-34 at the half. Limiting turnovers and converting from the free throw line in the second half helped propel Wake Tech to their third straight victory as they outscored the Cardinals 42-26 after the break.

"Both of these games were difficult for different reasons," head coach Adam Wainwright said on Monday, "but we've shown now that we can beat teams in multiple ways. We have to continue to play good defense and create turnovers that lead to points on the other end. I'm always happy to see us make our free throws. We did a lot of the little things right this weekend."

Navarro provided the biggest boost offensively throughout the weekend, scoring 22 in Saturday's win over Harford, and 26 in the win over CCBC Catonsville on Sunday. He was a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line across both games, including a 10-for-10 performance on Sunday. He converted on eight three-point attempts. 

"Andrew has really stepped up for us these last few games," Wainwright said. "He is composed out there, and when he's hitting those big time shots he's fun to watch."

Tequan Holley has been a consistent contributor throughout the season as well. The sophomore forward has started all eight games, averaging 11 points. But he added 15 and 19 points in the wins on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, and shot a combined 12-for-25 across both games. He also tallied eight rebounds in each game. 

The Eagles have the next week off due to the Thanksgiving holiday, but return to action at home on Monday, December 1, taking on Patrick & Henry at 7:00 PM in game two of a doubleheader with Wake Tech women's basketball.