Nov. 23, 2011

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GAMEDAY INFO
Navy (2-3) at Albany (2-3)
Friday, November 25, 2011
Albany, N.Y. • SEFCU Arena (4,538)
Radio: WNAV (1430 AM / 99.9 FM / wnav.com)
Announcers: Pete Medhurst
Video Streaming: www.NavySports.com (via Albany / $9.95)
Tickets: Available by walk-up at SEFCU Arena or by calling 518-442-4683.
Series: First Meeting

FRIDAY'S GAME BASICS
Navy returns to the New York Capital district on Friday to face another strong opponent in Albany, beginning at 4:00 pm from SEFCU Arena on the campus of the University of Albany. The Midshipmen (2-3) are coming off a tough 57-55 loss on Tuesday night at home against Tulane, while the Great Danes (2-3) are coming off a 66-46 setback at George Mason on Tuesday. The contest will be broadcast on WNAV (1430 AM / 99.9 FM / wnav.com) with Pete Medhurst providing all the action courtside, beginning with the pregame show at 3:45 pm (ET).

NOTEWORTHY
• After starting the season 2-0, Navy has last its last three games with two of them coming in single digits. After averaging 83.0 points per game in the first two outings, Navy is averaging just 55.0 points per game over the last three games.

• However, after allowing 70 points in the opener to Longwood, just one team (Quinnipiac - 78) has scored that many points in any of the last four games. Navy has held two of its opponents (Penn State Altoona and Tulane) to 57 or fewer points. Last season, Navy held just four opponents all year (George Washington, American, Lafayette and Colgate) to 57 points or fewer.

• Foes are averaging just 63.5 points per game and shooting 42.7 percent from the field over the last four games.

• During Navy's three-game losing streak, Navy has 32 assists against 44 turnovers, averaging 10.7 assists per game with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.73. In Navy's 2-0 start, the Midshipmen had 41 assists against 30 turnovers, an average of 20.5 assists per game with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.37. Navy shot 55.4 percent from the field in the first two games, but just 39.9 percent over the last three games.

• Despite the recent shooting woes, Navy is still shooting 94-of-164 (.573) from inside the three-point line over the first five games.

• Navy has made at least one three-pointer in 250 consecutive games, dating back to Jan. 26, 2003 against Colgate (0-of-3 from three). The Midshipmen have made at least five three-pointers in 16 straight games dating back to Jan. 19, 2011 vs. Holy Cross (1-of-25 from three).

• Through just five games this year, Navy has had 10 different players score in double-figures. In 31 games last year, nine players reached double figures in a game. The newest addition to the double-figure club was Jordan Brickman with his 14 points against Tulane on Tuesday.

• Head coach Ed DeChellis boasts a balanced attack as 12 players that have played at least four games average 7.0 minutes per game and 10 players average between 3.0 and 12.2 points per game. No player averages more than 29.4 minutes per game.

• Navy is searching for its 1,300th win all-time, needing just three more victories to reach the milestone. In 105 seasons of collegiate basketball, Navy has played 2,215 games with an overall mark of 1,297-918.

• Navy is shooting 49.1 percent (52-of-106) in its two home games this year, but just 69-of-154 (.448) in its three road games. The Midshipmen are averaging 71.5 points per game at home, but 62.7 points per game in three road games.

• Looking at the numbers compared to last year when Navy went 11-20, two areas really jump out. The Midshipmen are outrebounding their opponents by 1.4 boards per game one year after setting the school record for lowest rebounding margin in school history (minus-9.4). In addition, Navy is allowing just 64.8 points per game, one year after allowing 72.7 points per contest.

TULANE RECAP
Tulane scored the last four points of the game and held Navy scoreless over the last 4:24 to give the Midshipmen a 57-55 loss on Tuesday night. The Midshipmen led 55-53 with 4:24 to play, but went 0-for-5 with three turnovers down the stretch and could not pull off the upset of the Conference USA squad.

Navy fell behind 10-0 three minutes into the game, but used an 11-0 run to grab its first lead of the game at 11-10 with 11:24 to play in the opening half. The lead would flip-flop back and forth before Navy settled in for a 29-28 halftime advantage. Tulane surged ahead 49-42 with 11:24 to play in the contest, but Navy answered with a 9-0 run for a 51-49 cushion with 9:10 left to play. The two teams would then combine for just 12 points over the last nine minutes as the two teams went a combined 5-of-19 with 10 turnovers (six by Navy) in the game's final 10 minutes.

Jordan Brickman led Navy with 14 points, while J.J. Avila and Jordan Sugars tallied 13 each for the Midshipmen, which shot just 38.6 percent from the floor. Kendall Timmons and Josh Davis each had 14 points for Tulane.

MORE ON THE TULANE GAME
• In the first meeting against Tulane, Navy fell to 18-22 (.450) against Conference USA teams and has lost four games in a row against teams currently in Conference USA. Navy's last win over a team currently in C-USA came on Nov. 22, 2002, a 68-56 win over Central Florida.

• Navy started the same lineup (Brickman, Roberts, Sugars, Loupos, Avila) for the second straight game.

• Navy was held under 39.0 percent shooting for the second straight game.

• Navy held Josh Davis, who entered the game averaging 17.7 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per game to 14 points and seven rebounds. Davis had recorded three double-doubles to start the season, but had just six points and two rebounds in the second half.

• Navy's bench scored just eight points, a season low, in the loss to Tulane. The previous season low for Navy's bench came against Siena (23 points). The eight points were scored by freshmen (five by Worth Smith and three by Donya Jackson).

• Navy started slow again versus Tulane, falling behind 10-0, just three minutes into the game. Before the first media timeout of the last two games, Navy has trailed 26-4 (16-3 vs. Quinnipiac). Navy is just 16-of-48 (.333) from the field in the first half of the last two games combined.

• Navy's 11-0 run in the first half was the second largest of the season, topped only by a 16-0 run against Penn State Altoona.

• J.J. Avila and Jordan Sugars combined for 26 points and 12 rebounds, one game after combining for 11 points and six rebounds.

• The loss snapped a four-game home winning streak for the Midshipmen, dating back to Feb. 12, 2011 vs. Lafayette.

BRICKMAN TAKES THE POINT GUARD REIGNS
It appears that junior Jordan Brickman has taken control of the reigns at point guard and is getting better and more comfortable with each passing game. He scored a career-high 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and added two rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes against Tulane. He has started the last two games, averaging 9.5 ppg in 26.0 mpg during that stretch, shooting 6-of-11 (.545) from the field.

Brickman was one of Billy Lange's highest-ranked recruits coming out of high after the 2008-09 season, but opted not to play basketball as either a freshman or sophomore, mostly to concentrate on academics and focus on the military side of life at the Academy. He should only get better and more comfortable as he starts to run the Navy offense.

YOUNG GUNS STEPPING UP AGAIN
Navy had a strong freshman class a year ago and early on, it appears this year's group of freshmen may be on par with that group. This year's group is averaging 15.8 points per game while shooting 29-of-71 (.408) from the field and 10-of-31 (.323) from three-point range, while the rest of the team is shooting just 17-of-65 (.262) from beyond the arc.

Last year's group of freshmen set a school record by scoring 762 points and was second in points per game average at 24.7 points per game. Through the first five games last year, this year's current sophomore class averaged 18.8 points per game.

The freshmen and sophomore classes combined have scored 229 of Navy's 331 points (69.2 percent), averaging 45.8 points per game. Of the 10 players this year to reach double figures, seven of them are either freshmen or sophomores.

SUGARS JOINS ELITE GROUP
• Jordan Sugars became the ninth player in school history to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds when he did so against Siena. Sugars now has 1,071 points (20th on Navy career list) and 517 rebounds (20th). He is the shortest player (6-3) in school history to be part of the club that features David Robinson, Vernon Butler, Greg Sprink, Chris Williams, Eddie Reddick, Kevin Sinnett, Hank Kuzma and Don Lange. He is one of 26 Patriot League players to reach 1,000 / 500 and is the only active player

• With 429 points and 83 rebounds, Sugars would join Robinson, Butler and Sinnett as the only players in school history with 1,500 points and 600 rebounds. All three players have their jerseys hanging in the Alumni Hall rafters.

• Sugars currently ranks 20th on both the career points (1,071) and rebounds (517) list.

THE McALLEN MAGICIAN
Navy sophomore forward is off to another strong start in the 2011-12 season, leading the team in scoring (12.2 ppg), rebounds (6.0 rpg) and assists (3.2 apg), while shooting 56.5 percent (26-of-46) from the field. He is the only player in the Patriot League (through Tuesday's game) to rank in the top 10 in points, rebounds and assists and he also ranks fifth in field goal percentage. He is just 5-of-15 (.333) from three-point range, but is shooting a sizzling 21-of-31 (.677) from inside the three-point arc.

Avila was one of four freshmen nationally a year ago (Central Michigan's Trey Zeigler, California's Allen Crabbe and Saint Joseph's Langston Galloway) to average 10.0 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game and 2.0 assists per game. He was the first Navy player to reach those marks.

Avila has been in double figures in four of five games this year, has grabbed at least five rebounds in four of five games and has at least two assists in every game this year. He finished last year ranked third in points, sixth in rebounds, seventh in assists, second in steals and third in double-figure scoring games on the Navy single-season freshmen charts and was the 2011 Patriot League Rookie of the Year.

PREVIEWING ALBANY
Albany, like Navy, is off to a 2-3 start with wins over Brown (77-68) and Monmouth (85-49) and losses to 2011 NCAA Tournament teams Pittsburgh (89-56), Syracuse (98-74) and George Mason (66-46). The Great Danes are coming off a 66-46 setback to George Mason on Tuesday night where they shot just 26.2 percent (16-of-61) from the field and 9.1 percent (2-of-23) from three-point range. Albany trailed 33-18 at the break.

Albany is led by junior guard Gerardo Suero, who ranks third in the America East in scoring at 20.6 points per game. Suero scored 29 points in the win over Brown and then added 31 points in the loss to Syracuse. Fellow backcourt mate Logan Aronholt averages 14.4 points per game and shares the team lead with Suero in rebounds at 5.8 per game. Point guard Mike Black averages 9.2 points per game and 4.6 assists per game. The backcourt trio combines for over 65.0 percent of Albany's 67.6 points per game, scoring 44.2 points per game between them.

Albany has struggled from the field, but most of that can be attributed to the level of competition. The Great Danes are shooting just 41.2 percent from the field and 28.3 percent from three-point range. Albany is averaging 24.0 three-point attempts per game and average 14.4 turnovers per game. Defensively, foes are scoring 74.0 points per game and shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range.

NAVY-ALBANY SERIES HISTORY / MISCELLANEOUS FACTS
• This will be the first meeting between the two teams. Albany will likely make a return trip to Annapolis in the 2012-13 season.

• Navy is 13-11 (.542) all time against the teams currently in the America East Conference (8-4 vs. UMBC; 3-3 vs. New Hampshire; 2-2 vs. Stony Brook). Navy's last performance against a team in the conference came on Nov. 19, 2006, an 87-76 win over Stony Brook.

• This will be Ed DeChellis' first meeting against Albany. He owns a 6-2 mark against America East teams (2-0 vs. Hartford; 1-1 vs. Maine; 1-0 vs. UMBC; 2-0 vs. New Hampshire; 0-1 vs. Stony Brook).

• Navy owns a 6-2 mark on November 25, winning its last game on the date, a 76-51 decision over Md.-Eastern Shore in 2008.

WEREN'T WE JUST HERE?
Navy will be making its second trip to Albany in just nine days as it battled Siena on Nov. 16 at the Times Union Center. The Mids were actually in Albany on Nov. 17 (flight left at 6:00 am), and by arriving on Thanksgiving Day, Navy will have been in Albany twice in one week and playing two games in the city in nine days.

It marks the first time that Navy will have two road games against different opponents located in the same city since the 2007-08 season when Navy played both at Drexel and at Penn, located in Philadelphia. However, those games were part of the Philly Hoop Group Classic.

ALWAYS NEAR THE TOP
• Navy is 30-26 in the Patriot League since the start of the 2007-08 season, posting the third-best Patriot League record during that four-year span. The 30 wins are the third most in the Patriot League during that span, behind American (41-15) and Bucknell (32-24). From the 2001-02 season through the 2007-08 season (seven years), Navy won a combined 32 PL games.

• With Navy tying for fourth and American placing second in 2010-11, the two teams are the only programs in the league with top-four league finishes in each of the last four years.

• Over the last eight years (including this year), Navy has been selected sixth or lower in every preseason poll to date. And in six of the seven years, Navy has outperformed its preseason placing. The lone exception came in the 2005-06 season, when Navy was picked sixth and finished seventh.

THE FUTURE IS NOW
• When Navy takes the court in 2011-12, it will do so as one of the nation's youngest teams. Navy will have three seniors, one junior, six sophomores and six freshmen on the traveling roster entering the year. The total amount of games played by the nine returnees is just 306, with 87 of them coming from senior captain Jordan Sugars.

• The combined number of starts by the nine returnees entering the season was just 102, with 53 coming from Sugars.

• Navy ranks as the 10th-youngest, least-experienced team in America for the upcoming season. Of Navy's 16 players on the roster, 12 are freshmen or sophomores and the lone junior, Jordan Brickman, did not play basketball his first two years at Navy.

# GO NAVY #