Feb. 13, 2009

• Navy Game Notes (2-13-09)

NAVY (16-8 / 5-4 PL) vs. LAFAYETTE (6-18 / 2-7 PL)
Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009 • 7:00 pm (ET)
Annapolis, Md. • Alumni Hall (5,710)
Television: None
Radio: WNAV (1430 AM / www.WNAV.com), WTOP (1050 AM)
Radio Talent: Pete Medhurst
Live Video: NavySports.com (All-Access only)
Gametracker: NavySports.com
Tickets: 1-800-US4-NAVY or available at game
Series: Navy leads, 39-23
Last Meeting: Jan. 17, 2009 (Lafayette, 84-69)

Saturday's Promotions
Mascot Mayhem -- Bill invites his mascot friends to join him for a night of hilarious action on and off the court.

BSC Night -- Members of the Naval Academy Brigade Sports Complex may come enjoy the game at a discounted price. For more information call 410-293-8785.

JROTC Night -- JROTC members may attend the game at a discounted price. For more information call 410-293-8711.

Gameday Preview
The Navy men's basketball team concludes its brief two-game homestand on Saturday night, hosting Lafayette at 7:00 pm. The Mids are currently 16-8 overall and sit in third place in the league standings with a 5-4 mark. Lafayette is 6-18 overall and is in seventh place in the Patriot League with a 2-7 record. The game will be aired on WNAV (1430 AM) and WTOP (1050 AM) and will be streamed online as part of the Navy and Patriot League All-Access packages beginning with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. Pete Medhurst will handle the call from Alumni Hall.

Five Things to Know
• Navy is looking to snap a two-game home losing streak after starting the year 9-0 at Alumni Hall.

• A win on Saturday would give Navy 17 overall wins, the most during the Billy Lange era.

• A win would allow Navy to split the season series with the Leopards, after Lafayette won the first meeting, 84-69.

• A victory would allow Navy to remain in third place in the league, with at least a half-game lead over Colgate.

• A win would give Navy three victories in its last four games after starting the league season 3-3.

About Lafayette
Lafayette enters the contest with a 6-18 overall record and is 2-7 in the league standings. The Leopards started the season 2-0, but have since lost 18-of-22 games. However, their wins have come against Towson (a team that beat Navy), Princeton (Ivy League leader), Navy and Colgate. Lafayette has lost seven games in a row.

• The Leopards are averaging 65.6 ppg (62.6 in league games), while giving up 72.5 ppg (68.1 in league games). Lafayette is shooting 40.9 percent from the field and leads the Patriot League in three-pointers per game (7.8) and free throw percentage (.748). Andrew Brown ranks sixth in the league in scoring (13.5).

The Series vs. The Leopards
Navy and Lafayette are meeting for the 63rd time on Saturday with the Midshipmen owning a 39-23 advantage. Navy is 12-6 against the Leopards in Alumni Hall and is 29-9 all-time in Annapolis. Since Navy joined the Patriot League in 1991-92, both teams have won 19 games each. The series score in that span is 2,775 to 2,731 (73.0 to 71.9) in favor of Navy. Fourteen of the 38 games have been decided by five or fewer points.

• Lafayette defeated Navy, 84-69, on Jan. 17, 2009, in the team's first meeting. The Leopards ended the game on a 23-10 run after Navy had pulled to within 61-59 with just over seven minutes left. The Leopards shot a season-high 54.2 percent from the field and made 27-of-30 free throws to ease to the win. Brown led Lafayette with 23 points and Jared Mintz recorded a double-double (17 pts., 10 rebs.). Chris Harris had 16 to pace Navy.

Navy Quick Hits
• Navy is 5-4 in league play for the second straight season following its loss to Lehigh on Wednesday night. Last year, Navy won six of its last seven league games after starting 3-4 in the league to finish in second place at 9-5.

• The Mids are also guaranteed their second straight winning season. Navy has not had back-to-back winning seasons since the 1999-00 (23-6) and 2000-01 (19-12) seasons. One more win for the Mids will give Navy the most victories in Billy Lange's tenure and Navy needs just four more wins for 20. Just eight previous teams in Navy history have won 20 games.

• Navy continues to the lead the Patriot League in scoring (71.5 ppg). Navy has led the league in scoring in three of the past four years. Despite leading the league in scoring, Navy has surpassed the 80-point barrier just twice this year (102 vs. William & Mary; 81 vs. Longwood), but has been over 70 points 13 times. In games that Navy scores 70 or more points, the Mids are 11-2 with the losses coming to Virginia Tech and Army.

• In all games played on the defensive side, Navy ranks sixth in scoring defense (69.7). The Mids are also fourth in field goal percentage defense (.412), first in three-point field goal percentage defense (.304), fourth in rebounding margin (-1.6), fifth in blocked shots (2.46), second in turnover margin (+0.29) and fourth in turnovers forced (14.3).

• Navy has had at least three players score in double figures in each of the last 12 games. In the team's first 12 games, Navy had three players score in double figures just six times.

• Navy has been held to 46.0 percent or lower shooting from the field in all nine league games. As a result in league games only, Navy is shooting just 37.6 percent (seventh in the league) from the field and 30.6 from three-point range (sixth in the league).

• Navy has had five different players lead the team in scoring this year, including four different leaders in the last five games. Adam Teague (16) paced the squad against Army, Kaleo Kina led the team against American (26) and Bucknell (17) and Chris Harris (17) and Mark Veazey (17) led the team in scoring against Colgate.

Inside The Numbers
• Navy is 3-0 in overtime games this year and 7-4 under head coach Billy Lange.

• The Mids are 9-3 in games decided by five or fewer points, but just 7-5 in games decided by six or more points.

• Navy is 11-2 when leading at halftime, 14-1 when leading with 10 minutes to play and 15-0 when leading with five minutes to play.

• Navy is 7-1 when shooting 45.0 percent of better and 28-10 under Lange when that happens.

• When shooting a higher percentage than its opponent this year, Navy is 10-0. In the four-plus years under Lange, the Mids are 41-8.

• Navy is 10-1 this year when shooting more free throws than its opponent and 41-8 under Lange.

• Navy is 11-2 when scoring 70 or more points with the losses coming to Virginia Tech and Army.

• In games that Navy holds foes to 69 or fewer points, the Mids are 12-2 with losses to Canisius and American.

• Navy is 14-4 when having at least three players in double-figures.

• Navy is 8-1 this year when Mark Veazey scores in double-figures with the lone loss coming Wednesday to Lehigh. On the flipside, the Mids are 3-3 when Clif Colbert scores in double figures.

• In games that Chris Harris scores in double-figures, Navy is 15-4. When he doesn't, the Mids are just 1-4.

• Navy has been held to its two-lowest point totals of the year in its last two outings (Bucknell - 62; Lehigh - 59).

# GO NAVY #