Game #11 • William & Mary
Saturday, Dec. 30 • Noon • Alumni Hall • Annapolis, Md.

Multimedia Information
Live Streaming - ESPN+ / Pete Medhurst
Navy Radio - WNAV AM-1430, FM-99.9, www.iheart.com/live/999-wnav-9420, Audacy app and WFED AM-1500, FederalNewsNetwork.com / Pete Medhurst
Live Statistics - NavySports.com

Five Starting Notes
1 – Navy has played more games on December 30 than any other day of the year.  Saturday's game will be the 44th for the Mids on the date.
2 – The game will be the 62nd for the Mids against William & Mary.  Among non-Patriot League schools, the only opponent Navy has faced more often is Penn (85 games).
3 – Saturday's game returns Navy to its original conference as the Mids were a member of the ECAC South / Colonial Athletic Association for 10 years (1982-83 to 1990-91).
4 – Navy ranks fourth nationally with a defensive three-point field goal percentage of 25.2%.  William & Mary ranks 109th in the country with an offensive three-point field goal percentage of 35.1% and stands 21st with an average of 9.8 three-point field goals made a game.
5 – Donovan Draper leads the Patriot League and ranks 73rd nationally in double-doubles (3), 42nd in steals (2.2 spg), 53rd in total rebounds (8.9 rpg), 49th in offensive rebounds (3.2 orpg) and 84th in defensive rebounds (5.7 drpg).

Game Information
•    Navy (3-7) will close both the 2023 calendar year and its pre-Patriot League slate of games Saturday when the Mids play host to William & Mary (5-7) in a noon game in Alumni Hall. 
•    ESPN+ will provide a video stream of the game.
•    WNAV and WFED will carry the game on the radio.
•    Links to live statistics from the game can be accessed at NavySports.com.

Last Game
•    A fast start boosted Youngstown State to a lead it would not relinquish in a 75-65 victory Dec. 21.
•    The Penguins jumped out to a 23-11 lead thanks to starting the game 7-10 from the floor.
•    The Mids cut into the deficit numerous times throughout the remainder of the game but could pull no closer than six points.
•    YSU led Navy by a combined 32-13 in the first five minutes of each half.  The Mids led the Penguins, 52-43, in the remaining 30 minutes.
•    Mac MacDonald led Navy with 17 points.  Donovan Draper posted 13 points, 13 rebounds and five steals. 

About William & Mary
•    William & Mary compiled an overall record of 13-20 last season and placed eighth in the 12-team Coastal Athletic Association with a 7-11 record.
•    The Tribe lost in the quarterfinal round of the CAA Tournament. 
•    William & Mary placed eighth in this year's 14-team CAA Preseason Poll.
•     The Tribe enters the game with a 5-7 record on the year.  William & Mary has posted a 5-0 record in home games, a 0-5 record in true road games and a 0-2 record in neutral site games.

Navy-William & Mary Series
•    Navy holds a 42-19 advantage in the all-time series with William & Mary.  This includes a 27-7 edge in games played in Annapolis.  The Mids also lead, 5-1, in games played in Alumni Hall.
•    The teams first met, Dec. 17, 1927, in Annapolis.  Navy posted a 48-20 victory in that inaugural game.
•    Navy won last season's game in Williamsburg, 74-59.
•    Navy returns four players who faced the Tribe last season and William & Mary returns five players who took to the court against the Mids a year ago.
•    The two teams shared a conference affiliation for a decade as each were members of the ECAC South / CAA from the 1981-82 through 1990-91 seasons.
•    Navy held a 13-6 advantage in regular season and tournament games played between the teams during that era, including a 5-3 advantage in games played in Annapolis.
•    Navy's 61 games (heading into Saturday) against William & Mary ranks second for the most by the Mids against a non-Patriot League opponent (Penn, 85) and ninth against any foe.

Navy vs. CAA
•    Navy has totaled a 101-58 record in games against teams currently in the Coastal Athletic Association.  This includes a 59-48 loss at Campbell in the 2023-24 season opener.
•    Navy has posted a 7-8 record against current CAA teams under head coach Ed DeChellis.
•    The Mids were one of the founding members of the ECAC South Conference, which became the Colonial Athletic Association and was changed to the Coastal Athletic Association in 2023.  Navy spend a decade in the affiliation (1982-82 through 1990-91) and compiled a conference regular season record of 61-59 in that span.  The Mids also won a trio of conference tournament titles (1985, '86, '87) in the CAA as part of their 12-7 tournament record.

William & Mary vs. Patriot League
•    William & Mary has posted a 47-96 record against teams currently in the Patriot League.
•    The Tribe defeated American, 95-89, earlier this year.

On This Date
•    Navy has played more games on Dec. 30 –– 43, prior to Saturday's William & Mary game -- than any other day of the year.
•    The Mids have played 39 games on Jan. 11 and 38 on Dec. 29.
•    Navy has posted a 24-19 record on Dec. 30.

Against This State
•    Navy has posted a 167-109 record in games against opponents located in Virginia.

Up Next
•    Navy begins its Patriot League campaign Jan. 3 when it plays host to Boston U.

Taking Advantage of Court Time
•    Several Mids have either surpassed or are approaching the point totals for their careers with their efforts this season.

Player    Career through 2022-23    2023-24
Austin Benigni    146 pts / 31 gms.    120 pts. / 10 gms.
Mitch Fischer    8 pts. / 10 gms.    65 pts. / 10 gms.
Kam Summers    46 pts. / 20 gms.    69 pts. / 10 gms.
Mike Woods    33 pts. / 18 gms.    50 pts. / 10 gms.

Not Getting to the FT Line 
•    Navy ranked 343rd nationally during the 2022-23 season with an average of 13.5 free throws attempted a game, and 344th with an average of 9.5 free throws made a game.
•    In 2023-24, the Mids rank 227th nationally in free throws attempted (18.4) and 207th in free throws made (13.4) per game. Though low nationally, both of those averages lead all Patriot League teams.
•    Compared to their opponents this year, the Mids are -13 in free throws made and -29 in free throws attempted.
•    William & Mary is averaging 16.4 free throws made a game and 22.3 free throws attempted a game.  The Tribe are +30 in free throws made and +45 in free throws attempted compared to their opponents.

Navy Bench Has Been a Strength
•    The Mids have received an average of at least 20 points a game from their bench since the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
•    The Navy reserve players have outscored their foes 289-113 in this year.
•    Navy ranks first in the Patriot League and 39th nationally in bench scoring this season with an average of 28.9 points per game.

3-Point Percentage Low in Navy Games
•    Navy ranks fourth nationally in defensive three-point field goal percentage as opponents are shooting 25.2 percent from beyond the arc against the Mids. 
•    Navy ranks 339th (out of 351 teams) in the country in offensive three-point field goal percentage.  The Mids are making 27.2 percent of their three-point field goal attempts.

Defensive 3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. Leaders
1.        24.1    UIC
2.        24.3    UMass-Lowell
3.        24.9    BYU
4.        25.2    Navy

Rebounding 
•     Navy has been very good over the last number of years at winning the offensive rebound margin.
•    The Mids rank first in the Patriot League and 69th nationally this season with an average of 12.7 offensive rebounds per game.

Second-Chance Points 
•     Navy has scored more second-chance points than its foes in 184 of the 275 games (66.9%) it has played since the start of the 2014-15 season.  
•     30 of the 83 career points scored by Mike Woods have been second-chance points.
•    Navy has scored on 19 of the 38 career possessions in which Woods has grabbed an offensive rebound.
•    Navy has scored on 17 of the 30 possessions in which Donovan Draper has grabbed an offensive rebound.
•    Draper lead the Patriot League in total rebounds per game (8.9), offensive rebounds per game (3.2) and defensive rebounds per game (5.7). He also ranks 53rd nationally in total rebounds, 49th in offensive rebounds and 84th in defensive rebounds.

Navy Pace 
•    Navy traditionally has been one of the more deliberate teams in terms of possessions per game under head coach Ed DeChellis.  This year, Navy ranks 274th with an average of 67.1 possessions a game.
•    William & Mary ranks 247th nationally with an average of 67.8 possessions a game.