Venturini scores 14, hits from long range as Navy beats Delaware State 63-53 in South Padre

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas – Brandon Venturini scored 14 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead Navy to a 63-53 victory over Delaware State on Saturday in both teams' South Padre Island Invitational finale.

Tilman Dunbar added 11 points for the Midshipmen (3-4), who shot only 45 percent from the floor but made seven of their 16 attempts from behind the arc.

Kendall Gray and Tyshawn Bell had 13 points apiece for the Hornets (3-4), and Gray pulled down a game-high seven rebounds. Delaware State made just 36 percent of its shots.

Navy didn't trail after the opening minutes, as a Kendall Knorr 3-pointer capped an 18-2 run that gave the Midshipmen a 24-8 lead with 6:50 left in the first half. Navy led 35-20 at halftime, then scored the first nine points of the second period, capped by a Venturini 3-pointer, to take its largest lead, 44-20, with 16:26 to play.