Feb. 3, 2012
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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Navy (3-18, 0-7 PL) vs. Lafayette (9-13, 4-3 PL)
Saturday, February 4, 2012 • 1:00 pm (ET)
Easton, Pa. • Kirby Sports Center (3,500)
Radio: WNAV (1430 AM, 99.9 FM, wnav.com)
Announcer: Pete Medhurst
Video Streaming: NavySports.com (Navy All-Access) / PatriotLeague.org (Patriot League All-Access)
Gametracker: NavySports.com
Tickets: At the Kirby Sports Center ticket window one hour before tip.
Series / Streak: Navy, 41-27 / Lafayette, win-1
Last Meeting: January 7, 2012 (Lafayette 65, Navy 63)
THE GAME
Navy opens up the second half of league play on Saturday with a 1:00 pm tip against Lafayette at the Kirby Sports Center in Easton, Pa. The Midshipmen enter the contest with a 3-18 overall record and are looking for their first Patriot League win of the season after going winless in the first "go-around" of league play. Lafayette is 9-13 overall and 4-3 in the Patriot League standings, currently sitting alone in fourth place, one game out of second place behind Lehigh and American (5-2). Three of Navy's seven losses in Patriot League play have been by single-digits and another one was decided by 11 in overtime at Colgate. The Midshipmen lost by two at home (65-63) to Lafayette in the Patriot League opener on Jan. 7.
GAME COVERAGE
Saturday's game with Lafayette can be heard on WNAV (1430 AM, 99.9 FM, wnav.com) and SIRIUS Satellite Radio (Ch. 134) with Pete Medhurst handling the call, beginning with the Navy Basketball pregame show at 12:45 pm (ET). All-Access subscribers can watch the game online as part of the Navy and Patriot League All-Access packages and live stats are available on NavySports.com(.) As always, fans can receive text message updates via Navy's official athletics Twitter page (@NavyAthletics).
THE OPPONENT
Lafayette currently boasts a 9-13 overall record and is 4-3 in the Patriot League with wins over Colgate, Holy Cross, Army and Navy in the league's first half of play. The Leopards entered the conference season with three straight losses to Columbia, NJIT and Penn before defeating Navy and Army to start league play 2-0. The Leopards own a non-conference win over the Big 10's Penn State, the Nittany Lions first loss ever to a Patriot League squad.
Senior Ryan Willen leads Lafayette in scoring (14.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.1 rpg), while sharp-shooting senior Jim Mower averages 14.0 ppg and has made 44 three-pointers this year. Preseason all-Patriot League selection Tony Johnson returned from a back injury six games ago and is averaging 7.3 ppg and 4.7 apg. As a team, the Leopards are shooting 38.2 percent from three-point range, but are giving up 73.4 points per game and allowing foes to shoot 47.0 percent from the field.
SERIES
Navy leads the series with Lafayette, 41-27, but since the start of the of the 1995-96 season, the two teams are deadlocked with 18 wins apiece. Seven of the last 10 meetings have been determined by single-digits, including a 65-63 Lafayette win on Jan. 7. Navy is 3-8 against Lafayette at the Kirby Sports Center having lost three straight games by an average of just 8.0 points per game (4.5 the last two games). Navy's last win at Kirby came in the 2008 season when Greg Sprink found Clif Colbert for a baseline jumper with 0.4 seconds left in an 82-80 victory.
UP NEXT: vs. HOLY CROSS (9-12, 3-4 PATRIOT LEAGUE)
Navy hosts Holy Cross on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at Alumni Hall, beginning at 7:00 pm. Holy Cross has won three straight meetings against Navy, including a 73-69 decision in Worcester on Jan. 11.
# GO NAVY #
