Jan. 27, 2009

• Navy Game Notes (1-27-09)

NAVY (14-6 / 3-2 PL) vs. AMERICAN (11-7 / 3-1 PL)
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009 • 7:00 pm (ET)
Annapolis, Md. • Alumni Hall (5,710)
Television: None
Radio: WNAV (1430 AM), WTOP (1050 AM)
SIRIUS: Channel 144
Radio Talent: Pete Medhurst and Michael Heary
Live Video: NavySports.com (All-Access only)
Gametracker: NavySports.com
Tickets: 1-800-US4-NAVY or available at game
Series: Navy leads, 36-31
Last Meeting: Feb. 27, 2008 (Navy, 83-68)

WEDNESDAY'S PROMOTIONS:
• Faculty and Staff Night -- Faculty and staff members may receive up to four free tickets to the game by showing their USNA or NAAA I.D. at the Alumni ticket office.

Previewing Wednesday's Game
Two of the Patriot League's best teams meet Wednesday night in an unfamiliar position as American visits Alumni Hall for a key early-season tussle. Both teams are coming off losses over the weekend, as Army edged past Navy (76-71) and American suffered its first conference setback on Saturday, falling to Holy Cross (71-62). The Mids enter the contest with a 14-6 overall record and currently sit in third place in the league standings with a 3-2 mark. American is 11-7 overall and 3-1 in the Patriot League, one-half game behind Holy Cross for the league lead. The game will be aired on WNAV (1430 AM), WTOP (1050 AM) and SIRIUS (Channel 144) with Pete Medhurst and Michael Heary handing the call, beginning at 6:45 pm. The game will also be streamed online as part of the Navy and Patriot League All-Access packages.

"Note"Worthy
• At 14-6, Navy is off to its best start since the 1999-00 team started 15-5. Navy's 3-2 Patriot League start is the program's best since the 2001-02 team also started out 3-2. One more win will guarantee Navy of its second-straight .500 season, its first back-to-back .500 seasons since 1999-00 (23-6) and 2000-01 (19-12).
• One game after playing its most-frequent rival (Army, 109 meetings), Navy will turn around and play its third-most frequently-played rivalry, American. The two teams have met 67 times (eighth-most meetings in the Patriot League), with Navy holding a slim 36-31 advantage. Penn (80 meetings) is the second-most frequently-played series.
• Navy is 9-0 at home after its 74-68 win over Holy Cross last Wednesday. The last time Navy started a year 10-0 at home came in the 1985-86 season. That team finished the year 11-0 at home, which was then Halsey Field House. The nine-game streak in Alumni Hall is tied for the second-longest winning streak in Alumni Hall history.
• In addition, Navy's 9-0 start makes it one of 30 remaining teams to be unbeaten at home. Of those teams, only 20 have played nine or more games.
• The Mids are 8-2 in games decided by five points or less, one year after going 3-6. Navy's six-point victory over Holy Cross was its most lopsided win since an 11-point (76-65) triumph over Penn on Dec. 5, a span of six wins.
• Navy has now lost the first game of the season series to Army six straight years. In the previous five years, Navy has come back to win the Star Game later in the campaign. After losing to Army in the team's first meeting of the year under Lange, Navy has won three-of-four games. Two of the three wins have come against American, including last year.
• In two of Navy's last three games (Lafayette and Army), foes shot season highs in field goal percentage. Lafayette shot 54.2 percent, while Army shot 65.0 percent from the floor. Army's 65.0 percent from the floor is the 17th-highest percentage in a single game in the country this year. Over the last three games, foes are 80-of-155 (.516) from the field.
• Navy ranks 22nd nationally in guarding the three-pointer, allowing foes to connect on just 30.3 percent of their three-point attempts. Tulsa leads the country at 26.2 percent. Navy's league opponents are shooting just 27.4 percent from long distance.
• Navy has had at least three players score in double figures in each of the last eight games. In the team's first 12 games, Navy had three players in double figures just six times.

Sunday's Army Recap
• Army shot a blistering 65.0 percent from the field and held off a spirited Navy rally late in the game to hand the Mids a 76-71 setback on Sunday at West Point's Christl Arena.
• Meanwhile, Navy shot just 31.1 percent from the field, and its starting three-guard lineup of Chris Harris, Kaleo Kina and O.J. Avworo went just 3-of-26 from the field. Navy's starters were 12-of-48 (.250).
• Jordan Sugars recorded career highs in points (13), rebounds (8), steals (3), free throws made (7), free throws attempted (7) and minutes (22) in his first Army-Navy game. Adam Teague led Navy with 16 points, while Clif Colbert added 14.
• Despite all of Navy's struggles on both ends of the floor, Navy got the lead down to four with 29 seconds remaining.
• Navy also stayed in the game with its best free throw performance of the year (26-of-31) and by forcing 22 turnovers, just one off the season high of 23 forced against Radford.
• Navy's 17-point deficit against Army was the team's second-largest deficit of the season. The largest was a 29-point second-half deficit in the season opener against Towson.

Navy's Statistical Trends
• With Navy's loss on Sunday, the starting lineup of O.J. Avworo, Chris Harris, Kaleo Kina, Adam Teague and Mark Veazey is 10-2 this year. Its two losses have came in the last two weekend games against Lafayette and Army.
• Navy is 8-2 in games decided by five or fewer points. Of Navy's 20 games, 12 have been decided by single-digits.
• Navy owns a 7-1 record this year and is 28-10 under Billy Lange when shooting over 45 percent. When Navy shoots a higher percentage from the field than its foe, Navy is 8-0 this year and 39-8 under Lange.
• Navy is 9-0 this year when shooting more free throws than its foe and is 40-7 under Lange when that happens.
• Navy is 10-1 this season when holding opponents to 69 or fewer points. When Navy allows 70 or more points, the Mids are just 4-5. When Navy scores 70 or more points, the Mids are 10-2 (losses to Army and Virginia Tech).
• Following its win over Holy Cross, Navy is now 13-2 this year when Chris Harris scores in double figures.
• With the loss to Army on Sunday, Navy is 10-3 when Adam Teague reaches double figures. In 30 career games that he has reached double figures, Navy is 21-9.
• In games that O.J. Avworo leads Navy in assists, the Mids are 8-1. When he does not, Navy is just 6-5.
• When Mark Veazey scores in double figures, Navy is 6-0 this year.

# GO NAVY #