The name Scott Drapeau may not come up in a discussion of college basketball's better players, but it could by the time this season ends.
Drapeau, a 6-foot-8 senior forward, has been playing in near anonymity for the University of New Hampshire in the sleepy New England town of Durham. Last Wednesday, he raised eyebrows by scoring 32 points and grabbing 21 rebounds in an upset of Miami of Ohio.
A UMass transfer, Drapeau was almost as impressive in Annapolis last night, scoring 32 points, hitting six of eight three-pointers and snaring seven rebounds as the Wildcats edged Navy, 81-79, at Alumni Hall.
The Midshipmen (4-4) had tied the game with 51 seconds left when T. J. Hall made the front end of a one-and-one.
New Hampshire (5-2) then got a break. Navy forced a turnover, but the Wildcats hustled to gain a jump ball, with the possession arrow pointing in their direction.
Junior guard Matt Alosa, who scored nine of his 21 points in the last five minutes, worked the baseline and drew a foul with 17 seconds remaining. He made both foul shots.
Navy then tried to win the game, with Hall coming off a screen to shoot a three-pointer. It bounced off the front of the rim.
Freshman guard Michael Heary grabbed the rebound, dribbled out 25 feet, and unleashed another three-pointer, which was wide of the mark as time ran out.
"Heary played a solid game," said Navy coach Don DeVoe, mindful of the plebe's 15-point contribution. "But on that last shot, all we needed was a basket to tie it. He should have gone right back up with it instead of dribbling outside."
In the end, the Mids simply could not control the Wildcats' potent combination of Drapeau and Alosa, who seemed to make all the clutch shots.
Drapeau, who improved his floor game by participating in a Boston Celtics free-agent camp last summer, was particularly effective in the first half.
He accounted for his team's first 11 points and finished with 18, hitting his first three three-point attempts. Entering the game, he had made only two of 11 from three-point range.
"They were leaving me open, and I was getting myself squared to the basket," said Drapeau, who was voted Player of the Year in the North Atlantic Conference last season.
"That's what you miss by not being able to scout a team in person," said DeVoe. "Their go-to guys -- Drapeau and Alosa -- played a wonderful game. . . . And the other guys all know their roles. I wouldn't be surprised if New Hampshire makes it to the NCAA tourney."
The Mids played well enough offensively to win most games, with point guard Brian Walker (12 points, seven assists), Hall (15 points) and forward Wes Cooper (14 points, nine rebounds) joining Heary in double figures.
"Our defense did us in tonight," said DeVoe. "We made a lot of big plays down the stretch and scored enough to win. But giving up 81 at home just doesn't get it done."
Navy led for the last time at 78-76 when Heary hit a three-pointer with 2:09 left. But Alosa scored the last five points to start the Wildcats' three-game trip with a victory.